An intimate gateway to learning about the Cree First Nations people from the perspective of its elders.
Henry Beaver (Cree) shares truths about the Cree culture with his visiting grandchildren to pass on its traditional knowledge.
The first lesson he introduces is how to harvest salt on the salt plains of Fort Smith, located in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Colorful photos then show Henry and the grandchildren trapping beaver while Henry’s wife, Eileen, (Cree and Chipewyan) demonstrates how to skin the animal for hides used in making mitts, moccasins, and parkas. There’s actual step-by-step instructions for tipi setup with accompanying illustrations. Eileen shares the importance of smudging and offers descriptions of each of the sacred plants that are used for spirit cleansing. This is followed by traditional Cree stories told by Eileen and Henry as they spend the night in the tipi with their grandchildren. The importance of teaching as a vehicle for transmitting culture suffuses the narrative, with lessons gleaned from the smallest of details transmitted smoothly and naturally in the narrative; that learning never ends is emphasized in Henry’s description of himself as “an Elder in training for twenty years.” The trip is a heartfelt family experience, and the accompanying photos lend the book the feel of a family album packed with good memories, a visual connection made to be accessible to all readers.
An intimate gateway to learning about the Cree First Nations people from the perspective of its elders. (Nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-927083-52-9
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Fifth House
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
How and when the Western Hemisphere, particularly North and South America, came to be populated continues to be both mysterious and controversial for scientists. Archaeologists plug away with the tools at their disposal but have “more questions than answers.” Harrison does a good job setting the issue in context. He describes the earliest efforts to identify the original inhabitants of the continents, exploring the Clovis culture, believed by many to be the first humans to reach North America. After clearly explaining how scholars decided that they were first, he then lists the arguments against this hypothesis. In the course of looking at both sides, he introduces young readers to “the strict rules of archaeology.” The author demonstrates the precise work of those attempting to understand the hidden aspects of human history and how many of these old questions are seen in the light of new technologies and discoveries. The narrative is aided by both photographs and original illustrations that imagine scenes from both the distant past and the field experiences. (glossary, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59078-561-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2010
"A human is a pretty wild thing," argues the author of this collection of curious facts and intriguing studies about human behavior. With a breezy text supported by a lively design, the author of Gross Universe (2004) again presents science in a way certain to attract middle-grade and middle-school readers. Chapters on the senses, emotions, communication and interactions with other human beings cover a variety of topics, each on headlined double-page spreads. Each chapter includes a description of “a cool study” organized into appropriate sections: question, observation, experiment (illustrated with step by step cartoons), results and summary. “Are you an animal?” sidebars describe comparable animal behavior. From dirty diapers to canned laughter to body language, he finds topics that both appeal and enlighten. Directly addressing readers, he invites participation by asking questions—“How are you sitting right now?” “Does smell affect your dreams?” “Does your heart race when….?”—and draws them in further with do-it-yourself experiments. A section on good manners even includes guidelines for behavior at a concert—differentiating between classical and rock. The digital art includes bits of photographs, line drawings, the use of color and shapes to help organize the print and plenty of symbols. No specific sources are cited, but an extensive list of experts is acknowledged. Popular science through and through, you can’t help enjoying this. (index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-926818-07-8
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Maple Tree Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2011
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