Crossing Bok Chitto

Citation:

Tingle, Tim. 2006. Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom. Ill. by Jeanne Rorex Bridges. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos.

ISBN 9780938317777

Summary: 

In the early 1800’s, the Bok Chitto river divided the Choctaw Nation and a series of plantations. A young Choctaw girl, Martha Tom, wanders across the river and discovers a congregation of slaves from the plantation having Sunday morning service. She befriends Little Mo and when his mother is sold to another plantation, Martha Tom and her Choctaw family lead Little Mo and his family to freedom.  

Critical Analysis: 

Crossing Bok Chitto is a touching and inspiring story rich in culture, not only of the Choctaw heritage, but the African American experience, as well. The story is told simply, yet has a powerful message of friendship, courage, and hope. The language is easy to follow for all ages and the inclusion of a native Choctaw wedding song, as well as a Choctaw translation of the classic hymn “I am bound for the Promised Land”, are authentic, interesting touches.  Since author Tim Tingle is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, there is definite sense of credibility in the creation of the book.  He includes several pages of factual information concerning Choctaw storytelling, a brief history of the Choctaw Nation, and short reasoning as to why the book was written and how the story has come to be; “Crossing Bok Chitto is an Indian book, written by Indian voices and painted by an Indian artist.”

 

The acrylics provided by Jeanne Rorex Bridges are realistic and moving. Characters are lifelike and it seems as if they almost stare out at the reader from the pages. Colors are muted, but detailed in clothing, backdrop, and facial expressions. Skin tones and hair are accurate to both the Choctaw and African American characters. Choctaw characters are represented in standard period dress consisting of long cotton dresses with aprons and moccasin shoes. The flowing white cotton dresses illustrated during the Choctaw wedding ceremony and the escape (depicted on the cover, as well) are beautifully simple and bright. Strangely, the river is barely noticeable in most pictures. Bridges represents this key element of the story with little color, thus giving many of the illustrations a murky quality.

 

Review Excerpt(s):

“…the artist has done a wonderful job of depicting all of the characters as individuals, with many of them looking out of the page right at readers.” ~ School Library Journal

 

“This book unites the spoken language of story with the visual language of paintings to pass on a story that tells something important about its people.” ~ The Lorgnette- Heart of Texas Reviews

 

Connections:

Other books by Tim Tingle:

Tingle, Tim. 2007. When Turtle Grew Feathers: A Folktale from the Choctaw Nation. Ill. by Stacey Schuett. Atlanta, GA: August House LittleFolk. ISBN 9780874837773 

Tingle, Tim. 2010. Saltypie: A Choctaw Journey from Darkness into Light. Ill. by Karen Clarkson. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos. ISBN 9781933693675

 

Classroom Activity: Teaching books.net has some great resources for introducing Crossing Bok Chitto including author interviews and audio files with pronunciation explanations, Tim Tingle’s website, and lesson plans.

http://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=1600&a=1

 

Jingle Dancer

Citation:

Smith, Cynthia Leitich. 2000. Jingle Dancer. Ill. by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu. New York: Morrow Junior.

ISBN 9780688162412

Summary:

Jenna longs to jingle dance in the next powwow, but does not have enough jingles to make her dress “sing”. She ventures to nearby relatives hoping to collect enough jingles for her and Grandma Wolfe to sew on her dress in time for the powwow.

Critical Analysis:

Cynthia Leitich Smith’s first book is a delightful account of a young Native American girl of Muscogee (Creek) Nation and Ojibway (Chippewa/Anishinabe) decent who is determined to carry on a family tradition. The relationship between Grandma Wolfe and Jenna is endearing and highlights the importance of family and heritage. Jenna’s determination to dance like her grandmother is touching and the fact that she is willing to dance for those who are unable to do so is encouraging. The contemporary story blends with Native American culture flawlessly by depicting a modern girl carrying on traditional customs. Personification is a predominate literary device used in the story, for example, the relationship between the Sun and Moon (Ex. “As Moon kissed Sun good night…”). Author Cynthia Leitich Smith includes a helpful Author’s Note which adds to the authenticity of the story immensely. The fact that Smith is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, gives an authoritative touch to the story and her additional history on the custom of jungle dancing is very interesting. The Glossary included is helpful, which includes terms found in the story such as regalia, powwow, and fry bread, a traditional Native American food.

The vibrant watercolors provided by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Wha Hu are impressive and do a fabulous job portraying contemporary Native American life. Hair and skin color are reflective of the culture, while dress and hair styles remain true to modern day living. For example, Cousin Elizabeth is a lawyer and is painted with a business suit, brief case and newspaper under one arm.  Contemporary setting and dress are predominate while traditional Native American dress is subtly highlighted from beginning to end. The Illustrations of the jingle dancing regalia are detailed and accurate, working well with Smith’s description of traditional jingle dancer attire in her Author’s Note. The illustrations work well with the text and effectively blend a contemporary setting with Native American tradition.   

Review Excerpt(s):

“The author is deliberately showing us, it would seem, that all Native Americans are not poor or live on rundown reservations. A useful portrayal of an important cultural event in a Creek girl's year.”

~ Kirkus, April, 2000 

“There are lyrical turns of phrase in this picture book about a contemporary Mucogee/Ojibway child who achieves her dream with love and support from her elders. Jenna, her family, and friends all embrace cultural traditions while living contemporary lives, as the full-page watercolor illustrations emphasize”

~CCBC, 2001

Connections:

Ancona, George. 1993. Powwow. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich ISBN 9780152632694

Smith, Cynthia Leitich. 2002. Indian Shoes. New York: Harper Collins ISBN 9780060295325

Classroom Activity: View authentic jingle dances on YouTube with students. Here are a couple of examples:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yPAwU6M0AU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZFefZKlR3g

The Story of the Milky Way: A Cherokee Tale

Citation:

Bruchac, Joseph and Gayle Ross. 1995. The Story of the Milky Way: A Cherokee Tale. Ill. by Virginia A. Stroud. New York: Dial for Young Readers.

ISBN 9780803717374

Summary:

After an elderly couples’ cornmeal is stolen overnight, their grandson sets out to find the thief. He is shocked to discover a giant, glowing dog who comes at night to eat the cornmeal. The grandson asks the village to sneak up on the dog the next time it visits and make a great deal of noise in order to scare it away. The noise frightens the dog and in turn it runs into the sky leaving a trail of cornmeal behind it, thus forming the Milky Way.

Critical Analysis:

The Story of the Milky Way: A Cherokee Tale is a touching retelling of a traditional legend. Authors Joseph Bruchac and Gayle Ross include a factual page entitled The Origin of the Story before the tale begins outlining their personal introductions to the legend as well as explaining the addition of the grandson to this particular version. The importance of storytelling as it relates to numerous Native American tribes, including Cherokee, is apparent when the story begins with a father sharing this particular legend with his two children. The story is told simply and the Cherokee are adequately and authentically represented through the story telling.

Virginia A. Stroud provides original illustrations that are dynamic and accurate. Her illustrator’s note provides further insight into the period dress she includes in the book’s illustrations. Interestingly, character faces are expressionless, but traditional clothing and setting are true to life of the time. Women are depicted with long, black hair and are dressed in colorful, flowery dresses which were popular during the early 1800’s, the time Stroud has chosen to illustrate. The men don colorful robes and moccasins. Since corn is the predominate food of the time and tribe, the text explains this thoroughly and the illustrations provide a reliable representation of the corn and its preparation in large, decorative baskets. The large, star covered dog is one of the most impressive illustrations. A favorite is its final leap into the sky with the cornmeal trailing behind.

Review Excerpt(s):

“Stroud's distinctive, stylized acrylics harmoniously oppose starkly delineated characters with intricately patterned backgrounds.” ~Publisher’s Weekly, September, 1995

“It is accessible on many levels; it will hold the attention of young listeners, yet remain interesting to older readers.” ~ School Library Journal, 1995

Connections:

Bruchac, Joseph. 1993. The First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story. Ill. by Anna Vojtech. New York: Dial for Young Readers. ISBN 9780140564099

Oughton, Jerrie. 1992. How the Stars Fell into the Sky: A Navajo Legend. Ill. by Lisa Desimini. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0395779385

Classroom Activities:

Discuss Pourquoi stories and relate the discussion to The Story of the Milk Way: A Cherokee Tale. A good website for reference: http://rwtverio.ncte.org/lessons/lesson_view_printer_friendlyf843.html

 

 

The Skirt

Citation:

Soto, Gary. 1992. The Skirt. Ill. by Eric Velasquez. New York: Delacorte.

ISBN 9780440409243

                                                 
                                                         Summary:

Miata Ramirez is constantly loosing things. When she leaves her folklórico skirt on the bus Friday afternoon, she is sure to disappoint her parents who are eagerly awaiting her folklórico dance in the skirt. She recruits her best friend, Ana, to help her retrieve the skirt from the bus before her performance on Sunday.

Critical Analysis:

 Gary Soto’s novel The Skirt is a quick, enjoyable read that showcases a number of Latino traditions, while blending American culture subtly throughout. Miata Ramirez and her family are Mexican American and Soto effortlessly incorporates the Spanish language, traditional Hispanic foods (frijoles and papas fritas), and the Latin American tradition of folkloric dance or folklórico from beginning to end. Miata’s interactions with her family are thoughtful. The Spanish language is used often between them and readers can easily interpret meaning to unknown Spanish words using basic inferencing skills. Eric Velasquez lends a handful of pencil illustrations that are somewhat bland; however the drawings do portray accurate Latino characters. Soto’s story is an authentic and thoughtful portrayal of a modern Mexican American family able to embrace American life while continuing to honor their own heritage and customs.

Review Excerpt(s):

“A good beginning chapter book, this uses simple words without sounding too simplistic.”

~ Booklist, October 1992

“Miata's family and friends are typical without becoming stereotypical, offering readers a cast and situation with which to identify, whatever their own ethnic origins.” ~ The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, October 1992

Connections:

Soto, Gary. 1990. Baseball in April and Other Stories. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

 ISBN 9780152025670

Soto, Gary. 1993. Too Many Tamales. Ill. by Ed Martinez. New York: Putnam. ISBN 9780698114128

Classroom Activities: Since Gary Soto’s The Skirt is a novel with no color pictures, explore some websites with traditional folklórico dress. YouTube also has some great performances to share!

http://www.photohouston.com/Mexican-folk-dance/ballet-folklorico-stock-photos.html