Sioux (First Americans Book)

A retelling of the Sioux creation myth accompanies a history of the Sioux that recounts their migration from Minnesota to the Plains in the 1700s, their buffalo hunting, family life, dances and ceremonies, and other aspect of Sioux culture.

Grade 3-6-These two books are the first titles in another series about Native Americans, presented in a picture-book format. Sneve offers brief comments on the two tribes in question. Generally cultural in emphasis, each title features an abridged origin story, an explanation of how the people got where they were at the time of contact, their first interactions with whites, family and village life, religion and ceremonies, battles, and lives today. Illustrations are soft, indistinct watercolors that provide little additional or supporting information. Also, the montage of people in the "today" section features historical as well as contemporary figures, confusing the past and present. The tribal "New True" books (Childrens) provide a lot more information.
Lisa Mitten, University of Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The focus of these handsomely illustrated titles in the First Americans series is on the history, beliefs and daily life of the Sioux and the Navajos during the 18th century in, respectively, the northern Plains and the open expanses of what is now New Mexico and Arizona. Necessarily simplifying the tribes' stories for her young audience, the author includes age-appropriate information about children's activities and responsibilities, as well as descriptions of each nation's housing, livelihood, social and cultural activities, and key rituals and ceremonies. Curiously, although Sneve spent her childhood on the Rosebud Sioux reservation, her accounts of this tribe's confrontations with white settlers and U.S. troops, and of the lives of the Sioux today, are much less substantive than those in The Navajos . In fact, her one-page description of "The Sioux Today" reveals nothing about their status except how some Sioux live on reservations and many "live in cities and towns and still treasure their Sioux heritage." Still, with the significant contribution of Himler's striking oil paintings, these books provide colorful sketches of two intriguing tribes. Ages 8-11.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Beginning with a Dakota creation myth, a bare-bones introduction to the history and culture of the Sioux tribes, unfortunately so compressed as to be unclear without prior knowledge. On pp. 6-7, for example, a reader might conclude that the Europeans who first encountered the Dakotas in what's now Minnesota were Spaniards. The bloody conflict between Sioux and whites is covered in two sentences; Wounded Knee is not mentioned. Himler's misty, sensitive paintings convey a great deal about the traditional lifestyle, but can't compensate for the terseness of the text. Map; list of tribal groups; excerpt from a pipe ceremony; index (including picture captions). A companion volume, The Navajos (ISBN 0-8234-1039-0), has the same subtitle, implying a series (not to be confused with the more detailed Facts On File series, ``The First Americans''). (Nonfiction/Picture book. 7-10) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.