A beautiful, short book for children ages 7-12 as well as older audiences interested in learning about Native American...
Winther (Duane Pasco: Life as Art, 2013) teaches young readers about the Hopi people’s traditions, including honoring spirits known as kachinas.
The Hopi people of northeastern Arizona regard kachinas as the bearers of fruitful harvests, and from December through July, they hold dances and ceremonies celebrating the spirits’ arrival. Hester, 9, and Honu, 7, learn their family’s values through stories about the kachinas. Each chapter explains a different period during the eight months of kachina, as seen through the children’s eyes. The Hopis regard the kachinas with reverence and respect, and they take great measures to satisfy them. Additionally, they believe that all children must be on their best behavior. Hester and Honu learn new values as they receive more responsibilities as maturing members of the family. Winther explains that she aims to provide readers with a glimpse of Hopi life and culture with this book, though traditions vary and her characters are fictional. Although many of the children’s experiences are culturally specific, the coming-of-age lessons are universal, and any children of a similar age may appreciate them. Older readers may also find themselves engaged by the unique traditions and stories. Winther offers vibrant, colored pen–and-ink drawings of the different kachina spirits, and the book is sensitively designed, right down to the soft, matte cover. Aside from a mention of tourists watching the dances, the Hopi group seems to live largely separate from others around them, and readers might find it interesting to know more about how they interact with other cultures. Overall, though, Winther provides a rich, culturally sensitive glimpse of Hopi life.
A beautiful, short book for children ages 7-12 as well as older audiences interested in learning about Native American culture.Pub Date: May 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-1497555389
Page Count: 108
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In the ``Environmental Issues'' series, this overview of the science, technology, and politics of hunger suffers from an excess of definitions and from muddy thinking. Spencer defines ``biotechnology,'' for example, as ``Changing plant and animal genetic structure by scientific methods,'' stating that the basic principles have been known for thousands of years: ``Noah used them to make wine from grapes to celebrate the landing of the ark on dry ground.'' How does fermentation alter the genetic structure of grapes? The author indicates that ``governments must either find ways to slow down population growth or to increase the food supply. They cannot do both'' (why not?), but gives little information on either and concludes that ``the U.N., since its membership includes all nations, large and small, rich and poor, can deal on a global basis with global problems.'' He celebrates the 1990 U.N. conference that encouraged people to ``light a candle for the future of children everywhere.'' Candles are no more nourishing than platitudes. Glossary; further reading; organizations for further information; index. Photos not seen. (Nonfiction. 10-12)*justify no*
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1991
ISBN: 0-89490-283-0
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Enslow
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1991
BOOK REVIEW
By ``a Navajo photographer and writer who specializes in contemporary Native Americans,'' a clear, strikingly photographed account of 13-year-old Celinda McKelvey's coming-of-age ceremony, set in its historical context (such traditions, nearly lost in the 1950s and -60s, are coming back along with renewed Navajo pride). Described are specific details of costume, the making of a corn cake that's cooked overnight in the ground, the gathering of the extended family to help and share the celebration, and the ceremony's symbolic meaning. In glowing color photos, the reservation's natural beauty is represented by such sacred sites as Shiprock, while Navajos are depicted using a mix of new (store-bought clothing) and traditional items (Celinda's hand- woven dress). Unusually authentic and attractive; an interesting comparison to Seymour's The Gift of the Changing Woman, which depicts the similar Apache ceremony. Also just published in the ``We Are Still Here'' series: Sandra King's Shannon: An Ojibway Dancer (ISBN: 0-8225-2652-2). Bibliography. (Nonfiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Dec. 15, 1993
ISBN: 0-8225-2655-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Lerner
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1994
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