THE LONG MARCH

Responding to a nationwide appeal during the Irish potato famine, the impoverished Choctaw nation collected $170 (about $5,000 in modern terms) only 15 years after their forced relocation by whites to what is now Oklahoma;with fine insight, this commemoration explains how and why the Choctaw were able to set their anger aside. Choona, too young to know the details of his people’s long march, hears the tale from his great-grandmother and rebels at the thought of sending money to Europeans; he comes to understand that the gift will help its givers as much, if not more, than its receivers. Working with tribal experts, Fitzpatrick gets the visual and cultural details right, and illustrates her episode with large, precise pencil drawings of realistically modeled figures and objects. This is a moving tribute to a little-known act of generosity, an “arrow shot through time,” that will leave readers astonished and deeply affected. (Picture book. 7-9)