From newcomer Nelson, a starry-eyed but exhilarating story of a Lakota boy coming of age on the Plains during the 19th century. The boy receives a horse from his father, a gift of great symbolic freight; it is on this horse, Storm, that the boy will travel to manhood. The boy explains the elements that go into becoming a Lakota warrior: he must learn to think before acting, to show imagination in the hunt, to be invited to attend a sweat lodge, and to go on a vision quest. Two major acts of courage are also involved: the taking of a buffalo and a confrontation with the enemy. The last is simply contact with, not the killing of, an enemy of his people, carried out during a raid to recapture horses, including Storm, stolen from the Lakota. Nelson explains every act within its spiritual context, which tends to slow the story, but the acts are so plainly good—thanking the buffalo for his gift, living in harmony with the earth and its creatures, etc.—that they are worthy of inclusion. The artwork is modeled after the ledger book drawings of the Plains Indians, as is explained in an author’s note, which further elucidates the other stages of the boy’s entering manhood. An impressive debut. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8109-4127-9
Page Count: -
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1999
Lunge-Larsen and Preus debut with this story of a flower that blooms for the first time to commemorate the uncommon courage of a girl who saves her people from illness. The girl, an Ojibwe of the northern woodlands, knows she must journey to the next village to get the healing herb, mash-ki- ki, for her people, who have all fallen ill. After lining her moccasins with rabbit fur, she braves a raging snowstorm and crosses a dark frozen lake to reach the village. Then, rather than wait for morning, she sets out for home while the villagers sleep. When she loses her moccasins in the deep snow, her bare feet are cut by icy shards, and bleed with every step until she reaches her home. The next spring beautiful lady slippers bloom from the place where her moccasins were lost, and from every spot her injured feet touched. Drawing on Ojibwe sources, the authors of this fluid retelling have peppered the tale with native words and have used traditional elements, e.g., giving voice to the forces of nature. The accompanying watercolors, with flowing lines, jewel tones, and decorative motifs, give stately credence to the story’s iconic aspects. (Picture book/folklore. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-90512-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
This vibrant, thoughtful book from Katz (Over the Moon, 1997) continues her tribute to her adopted daughter, Lena, born in Guatemala. Lena is “seven. I am the color of cinnamon. Mom says she could eat me up”; she learns during a painting lesson that to get the color brown, she will have to “mix red, yellow, black, and white paints.” They go for a walk to observe the many shades of brown: they see Sonia, who is the color of creamy peanut butter; Isabella, who is chocolate brown; Lucy, both peachy and tan; Jo-Jin, the color of honey; Kyle, “like leaves in fall”; Mr. Pellegrino, the color of pizza crust, golden brown. Lena realizes that every shade is beautiful, then mixes her paints accordingly for portraits of her friends—“The colors of us!” Bold illustrations celebrate diversity with a child’s open-hearted sensibility and a mother’s love. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8050-5864-8
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
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