SEQUOYAH AND HIS TALKING LEAVES

Sequoyah’s invention of a written Cherokee language is retold as a short stage play.

Prolific nonfiction writers and husband-and-wife team Coleman and Perrin re-create the story of Native American metalsmith Sequoyah, who, fascinated by the white man’s “talking leaves,” fashions a syllabary (not an alphabet) despite the misgivings of some of his people. One of a series of plays based on historical events, biographies and folklore, Sequoyah’s story is narrated by a Greek chorus of two historians who point out what is fact and what is supposition. Twelve other characters, including members of Sequoyah’s family and Cherokee conjurors, talk out the tale through 10 scenes and an epilogue with minimal stage direction. The retelling respects all of its characters and never descends into didacticism. The script should be easy to stage; however, Feeney’s attractive pastel illustrations complement the dialogue nicely, creating a hybrid picture book/script. An introduction and dramatis personae, glossary and further reading with websites extend the book’s usefulness. Follow the Drinking Gourd, from the same authorial team and illustrated by Courtney A. Martin, publishes simultaneously.

Apt for newly independent readers or as a classroom read-aloud or even a school play.