Berry Woman's Children - Hardcover

Dale DeArmond

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688058159 ISBN 13: 9780688058159

Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 1985

Synopsis

Book by Dale DeArmond

About this title

From Publishers Weekly

This is a first for children by De Armond, whose Juneau, a Book of Woodcuts and other outstanding books are featured on adult lists. Superb woodcuts illustrate the Eskimo legends that Grandmother tells to her rapt audience, four children clinging to her "on the bedplace." In the beginning, Grandmother says, Raven made the animals and birds and entrusted them to the care of Berry Woman: some say she is very beautiful; some say she's the moon. The stories hark back to days when people respected the creatures that provided food and clothing; the hunters killed only when necessary and honored the slain in ceremonies involving the entire tribe. De Armond captures the rich cadences of Native-American speech and readers will feel Grandmother is talking to them as well as to the little ones at her knee. Crab, Porcupine, Eagle, Puffin and many other Alaskan animals share magical moments in a rare book which the author-illustrator dedicates to "the animals and birds who share the earth with us." A glossary and pronunciation guide explains the text's intriguing foreign words.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4 According to Eskimo myth, Berry Woman was asked by Raven to look after the animals and birds. Striking full-page black-and-white wood engravings present 14 of Berry Woman's children, including walrus, eagle, polar bear and puffin. The text, two- to three-line paragraphs opposite each illustration, includes combinations of brief information about the animals, abbreviated retellings of myths and/or the animal's use in the traditional Eskimo life style. Pulling the loose pieces together is a storyteller telling a group of children about the Berry Woman's Children at the beginning; at the end, she asks the children to honor and respect the animals. The stark illustrations are stronger than the text, which is often a basis for a story rather than a story itself. An imaginative teacher might be able to find a use for this book in creative writing activities, but as a whole, it will not read well aloud. No sources are given for the stories. Harriet McClain, Etolin Elementary Library, Sitka, Alaska
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Publication date: 1985
• ISBN 10: 0688058159
• ISBN 13: 9780688058159
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1