Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge - Sitting Bull

Alyson Beecher over at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge and has a roundup every Wednesday. I love the encouragement to explore more non-fiction. My plan is to read at least 100 nonfiction picture books this year.

This week the American Indian Youth Literature Award winners were announced. We have the age appropriate titles in our library, but I still hadn't read Sitting Bull.

Sitting Bull: Lakota Warrior and Defender of His People by S.D. Nelson

Goodreads summary: Sitting Bull (c. 1831–1890) was one of the greatest Lakota/Sioux warriors and chiefs who ever lived. From Sitting Bull’s childhood—killing his first buffalo at age 10—to being named war chief to leading his people against the U.S. Army, Sitting Bull: Lakota Warrior and Defender of His People brings the story of the great chief to light. Sitting Bull was instrumental in the war against the invasive wasichus (white men) and was at the forefront of the combat, including the Battles of Killdeer Mountain and the Little Bighorn. He and Crazy Horse were the last Lakota/Sioux to surrender their people to the U.S. government and resort to living on a reservation.

The book includes an extensive author’s note and timeline, historical photographs, a map, a bibliography, endnotes, and an index.

My Thoughts: S.D. Nelson does a phenomenal job of showing Sitting Bull as a human being and not simply a legend. The story is told in the voice of Sitting Bull. We see him from childhood as he learns and grows. The Lakota way of life changed drastically during his lifetime. This would be a fantastic book to use when teaching about history in upper elementary and middle school. It could add a personal dimension and fill in many of the gaps in textbooks. It would also offer a perspective that is often absent in the books and curriculum.

The book appears to be very well researched. [Though on closer inspection it appears that his sources were not the best - see update below] The author provides an excellent timeline and thorough author notes. In addition, the book is illustrated with a combination of archival images and Nelson's gorgeous artwork. He has a unique art style that combines traditional Lakota imagery with his own modern twist. I really appreciated the addition of ledger art on the back endpaper. He included a brief explanation of this work. During incarceration, some Native people were given used ledger books and they created works of art in them on top of the used pages.

There is so much to admire about this book. I hope that many people, young and old, have the opportunity to experience it.

Update:  I did not realize that this book had problematic content when I read it. Beverly Slapin very thoroughly reviewed the book at Debbie Reese's blog American Indians in Children's Literature a few months after I posted this review. She ended the review with this comment, "But, given the accolades this book has received, it will probably be widely read by youngsters and their teachers, who will think that they’re reading real history. They are not." So, yes, I did think I was reading real history, but after reading her review, I can see that I certainly didn't look closely enough. I appreciate that both Debbie Reese and Beverly Slapin continue to share information with readers because I  obviously still fail to notice when things are inaccurate.

Non-fiction Picture Book Challenge

Alyson Beecher over at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a Non-fiction Picture Book Challenge and has a roundup every Wednesday. I love the encouragement to explore more non-fiction.

Summary from Goodreads: 

Told from the Native American point of view, Black Elk’s Vision provides a unique perspective on American history. From recounting the visions Black Elk had as a young boy, to his involvement in the battles of Little Big Horn and Wounded Knee, as well as his journeys to New York City and Europe with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, this biographical account of Black Elk—an Oglala-Lakota medicine man (1863–1950)—follows him from childhood through adulthood. S. D. Nelson tells the story of Black Elk through the medicine man’s voice, bringing to life what it was like to be Native American in the mid-to-late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. The Native people found their land overrun by the Wha-shi-choos, or White Man, the buffalo slaughtered for sport and to purposely eliminate their main food source, and their people gathered onto reservations. Through it all, Black Elk clung to his childhood visions that planted the seeds to help his people—and all people—understand their place in the circle of life. The book includes archival images, a timeline, a bibliography, an index, and Nelson’s signature art.

Review: I recently purchased this picture book biography by S.D. Nelson. Black Elk's Vision: A Lakota Story tells the story of Black Elk's life with a focus on the vision that Black Elk had when he was nine years old. The vision was something that shaped his life. Throughout the text, Nelson refers to the vision and the way it affected how Black Elk saw the world and his place in it. There is a lot of tough material presented in the book. Readers will be faced with injustices, death, grief and many difficult topics, but there is a moment of laughter. I am glad that Nelson included the scene with heyokas - foolish clowns. He explains that "laughter itself is a holy gift." 

I appreciated the wonderful mix of archival images with Nelson's own illustrations. The photographs from Black Elk's life and the general time period really support the text well. And, the more I see of Nelson's artwork, the more I love it. I read one of his other books, Greet the Dawn, and wrote about it for Non-fiction Picture Book Week back in July. His style is a fantastic blend of traditional and modern art. I couldn't help but relate his art to two picture books that I read with my students today - The Day the Crayons Quit and The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse. Nelson is also very playful with color even in more "serious" texts. I'm excited to use that as a bridge to his work.

If you have access to Teaching Books, there is a book reading available if you would like to hear a portion of the text and hear some background from the author. If you would like to see some of the art from inside the book, visit S.D.  Nelson's website.

Finally, here is a video of the author talking about himself, his art, and this book.

I highly recommend this book as a way to see U.S. history from a Lakota perspective and will be sharing it with others.

Non-fiction Picture Book Challenge

Alyson Beecher over at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a Non-fiction Picture Book Challenge and has a roundup every Wednesday. I love the encouragement to explore more non-fiction.

Greet the Dawn - The Lakota Way is a beautiful book that shares the Lakota Way. According to the author, this way "offers a means of living in balance." S.D. Nelson provides an introduction explaining this way of life that is lived in a circle with humility and balance. I appreciated the mix of tradition and modernity in the book within the text and illustrations. He honors traditional patterns and imagery, but is also bringing a new vision to the work including playfulness with colors and even some cartoon elements among other things. Another part of this fusion is that he provides modern scenes along with timeless illustrations. The reader will know that this is not only about Lakota from long ago. On the title page we see a pickup truck amidst a grouping of tipis. There is also a fantastic spread with a big yellow school bus. Within this contemporary school type scene he includes colorful patterns along the road and pictographic images in the sky that point to the Lakota heritage. This image may be seen in the opening of the trailer below.

The text is also a fusion of old and new. Through the simple poetic lines, Nelson is sharing the many teachings that have influenced his life. In a note at the end, Nelson tells of the people who have provided this  teaching including Black Elk and many others. I appreciated that he points to the sources. The text also includes several songs in the Lakota language that he notes are from Teton Sioux Music. I always appreciate seeing other languages within picture books.

I think Greet the Dawn would pair well with Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message by Chief Jake Swamp or, though much more simplified, you also might compare it to Our Journey by Liz Jaakola. 

All three books come from different traditions (Lakota, Mohawk, and Ojibwe), but they share many similarities such as thankfulness for the many things nature provides and greeting the day.

Another interesting type of pairing would be to look at other "ways of living." 

In Ka's Garden: Kab Lub Vaj, the story teaches about the Hmong way of life and at the end there is a note that lists out some core beliefs. Several are similar to those expressed by S.D. Nelson.

Alone or paired with other books, I highly recommend Greet the Dawn and look forward to sharing it with staff and students.