WHEN GOD MADE THE DAKOTAS

In an attempt to mimic a Native-American folktale, the author creates a story to explain the origin of the Dakota lands. Wakantanka, the Great Spirit, comes with his medicine bag and empties it of all he has left to create the land for the Dakotas. Woksape, the Medicine Man, has asked for great stone mountains, great boreal forests or a land of many lakes, but Wakantanka has given those away to other lands. When Woksape trustingly says he should just give whatever he has left, Wakantanka makes the most of it. It will be a land of many seasons, but will have “the most colorful sunset of anywhere on the earth.” While there will not be lakes, there will be tall prairie grasses that move like the sea. And so on. The text minimizes the rich oral language present in authentic tales from the Native-American culture, a clear imitation that will mislead young readers. Morin’s rich and expressive acrylic paintings on canvas deserve a more worthy text. (Picture book. 4-8)