Today I get to share with you a new picture book about a Native American family and it is written and illustrated by Native Americans. The book was released this week!! The book is Too Much: My Great Big Native Family by Laurel Goodluck and illustrated by Bridget George. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
November is Native American Heritage Month. This year I have not done as much as I normally do for November. We shared a Native American picture book about protecting our water earlier this month. Today I am sharing a middle grades novel that is also written by a Native American. It shares a bit of folklore and myth about the origin of the Messenger's Feast. It is called Eagle Drums by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson. The suggested reading age is 8 to 12.
Water is essential to life for humans and all living things. Yet the water on Earth is mostly salt water and otherwise undrinkable. Humans have been using the water at record levels as well as polluting the clean water to make it undrinkable. A group of indigenous people are working to protect the water. We shared a book about them a few years ago for Earth Day. Today we are sharing a book about one (well kind of two) of these amazing women. The book is Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Bridget George. It is recommended for ages 4 to 9. To go with this book, I am sharing some fun facts about water to show why we all need to be water warriors as well as some ideas for activities to go with the book.
It is hard to believe November is almost over and harder for me to believe that I have not shared any resources for Native American Heritage Month. It is one of my favorite heritage months! Although I do share various Native American books throughout the year, I almost always have something new for November! Today I get to share with you a wonderful new picture book written by Native Americans or First Peoples that share a Native American story of the first Thanksgiving based on stories from the Wampanoag. The book is Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story by Danielle Greendeer, Anthony Perry and Alexis Bunten and illustrated by Garry Meeches Sr. It is recommended for ages 3 to 7.
When Hazel was younger, we loved exploring the world and participated in a blog group celebrating food from around the world. We did the series Around the World in 12 Dishes. I miss it sometimes because it got us exploring different dishes. Some we loved and others not so much. Today I get to share a book that lets you explore the world through food so basically our series in one book sort of. The book is Ultimate Food Atlas: Maps, Games, and Recipes for Hours of Delicious Fun by Nancy Castaldo and Christy Mihaly. It is from National Geographic Kids and is recommended for ages 8 to 12 but could work with younger kids with adult help.
Today I get to share a new middle school novel with Native American characters--Ojibwe to be exact and written by someone of Ojibwe descent. It is about finding oneself after you have hit rock bottom. It is The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls by James Bird. It is recommended for ages 10 to 14.
Today we continue our celebration of Women's History Month by learning about the first person of color who became famous as a sculptor. Besides being a famous artist, she also had a very interesting life story and background. Throughout her life she dealt with racism and sexism. She was orphaned at a young age. She was biracial--Black and Native American. Her name is Edmonia Lewis or Mary Edmonia Lewis or Wildfire.
We are in the middle of winter here in Massachusetts. The trees are bare, but I am dreaming of spring and warmer weather. Today's book is perfect for this dream. It is The Leaf and the Tree by Bruce Nemovitz and illustrated by Ani Ghosh.
Have you ever looked into your family history? Perhaps you have gone onto Ancestry or Family Search and looked up your relatives. Did you discover anything? Or perhaps your child needed to share a bit about the country your family comes from. Do you come from just one country? As what I call an American mutt, I cringe at those assignments. How do I pick one of the countries my family is from? When Hazel got that assignment, we went with Steven's family history since he is Italian American. Today I am going to share a middle grades book with you that a diverse class begins researching their own history. It is a tale of genealogy, family, connections and so much more. The book is Finding Family Treasure by K.L. Knight and Jane R. Wood. Oh, and there is a giveaway at the end of the post!
Did you see the Groundhog Day video I shared on Facebook? It is the annual Groundhog Day video of Ms. G, the official groundhog of Massachusetts. I like watching this video more than Punxsutawney Phil. One Ms. G is closer to me and has weather more like mine. Two, she isn't surrounded by all the news cameras with the extra lights to make shadows. Plus I love how they share a bit about groundhogs, animals and more. She lives at Mass Audubon's Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary. We loved visiting Drumlin Farm when Hazel was young. In the video they say Groundhog Day is also Climate Action Day. So today I'm going to share some fun facts about groundhogs with a small craft round-up and share with you a new book about climate change. We all need to be aware of climate change and take action to help stop/slow it.
Today I am very excited to share with you a new picture book about race, racism and racial pride. When I read this book for the first time I knew I had to share it with you. It is that amazing!! The book is The Proudest Color by Sheila Modir and Jeff Kashou and illustrated by Monica Mikai. It is recommended for ages 5 to 8.
Today we are going to explore Native American fry bread and share a picture book about it. Fry bread is a bit controversial in the Native American society. Some love it and others hate it due to its history. When Native Americans were forced away from their ancestral lands, they took everything they owned and could carry and walked to new lands which were nothing like their original homelands. One such "walk" is known as the Trail of Tears. Thousands of people died on the long walk. After this displacement, some of which is still occurring, the Native people could not live the way they always had. They could not get the food they knew or even grow the food they usually grew. The United States Government subsidized some basic foods and it is said the Navajos were the first to create fry bread with flour, baking powder, salt and water.
Today I turn our focus back to Native American Heritage Month. I'm sharing a book that gives us a look at the true spirit of the warriors with quotes, photographs, and artwork. The book is Spirit of Indian Warrior edited by Michael Oren Fitzgerald and Joseph A. Fitzgerald.
We are continuing our celebration of Native American Heritage Month with a middle grades novel today. This novel delves into Native American life but it also has important messages for everyone to learn. It is such an interesting story and has fascinating characters. The book is The Brave by James Bird.
Protest! What comes to mind when you hear the word? There have been so many protests throughout history and many in recent times even during the world pandemic. Some protests are peaceful and some are not, but today's book will focus on peaceful ones. The book is Protest! How People Have Come Together to Change the World by Alice and Emily Haworth-Booth. This book is recommended for ages 8 to 12.
This year there will be shortages for gifts, especially toys. They are saying to shop early and not wait to see if things go on sale. I decided to provide my gift recommendations and my favorites of 2021 for you earlier than usual. I went through what I have shared with you and some of what I will share with you to give these recommendations. I may make additions in the future since I don't have everything I will review this year yet. I am dividing it up by ages for actual gift recommendations! Many of the recommendations are for books. If you follow the rule of four for gifting this should be helpful! I hope you find this list helpful!
November is always an interesting month for me. Halloween is over and fall is winding down. It is a month of thankfulness and Native American themes. Of course, I feel all year should be full of thankfulness and Native American themes, but that is a different topic. In November we also prepare for the gift giving holiday season, whatever ones you celebrate. In my house we also begin to prepare for a birthday party and this year she is turning 13--officially a teenager! So this month will be full of posts having to do with Native American themes (like this one), preparing for the holidays (including my holiday gift suggestion list) and of course holiday (including Thanksgiving) crafts and more. Stay tuned for some Native American and Christmas book reviews as well!
Do you know what the oldest living participatory democracy on earth is? It is the Iroquois League or Iroquois Confederacy. It was formed in 1142 and some of our Founding Fathers like Benjamin Franklin actually learned from them and used ideas of their set up when forming the United States. They even have a constitution that was recorded and kept alive on a wampum belt. (Source) Today I am going to share a new picture book that shares the story of the formation of the Iroquois League. It is written for ages 10-14, so it is not your typical picture book. The author and illustrator are both Native American. The book is A Peacemaker for Warring Nations: The Founding of the Iroquois League by Joseph Bruchac and illustrated by David Kanietakeron Fadden.
