More on HOW THE MOON REGAINED HER SHAPE

Earlier this month, I posted Beverly Slapin's review of How the Moon Regained Her Shape.

I have a copy of it and am posting my thoughts today. Back in August of 2006, I received an email from Sylvan Dell Publishing, that described several of their books. The subject line was "Science and Math through Literature for young children." I read thru the email, and saw there was a book listed there called How the Moon Regained Her Shape.


I requested a copy, and that began a brief correspondence with an editor at Sylvan Dell Publishing. The book, she noted, was based on traditional Native stories, but not from a specific tribe or its stories.

I replied that such books are a concern to me, given that there are too many books out there that do this.

How the Moon Regained Her Shape is a mess. The "influenced by Native American folktales" tag results in these reviews (see them in their entirety at the Amazon site):

One reviewer thinks it is a Native story. Bob Speare's review (Heartland Reviews) starts out "This telling of a Native American tale..."

The reviewer at CLCD says nothing about what it is, but does say: "This unique way to explain moon phases has long been part of Native American folklore. Fantastic artwork covers the pages with layered paper illustrations dressed in Native American design and colors."

All the other reviews there say "influenced by" but most go on to say it is outstanding, or wonderful, or uplifting...

This praise is for its theme, which they say is about bullying. The sun bullies the moon. In fact, there is a note on the final page of the book that says:

Bullies: In this story, the sun bullies the moon. A bully is someone who is mean or hurts other children either physically or verbally. Sometimes the bully acts this way to get something or to feel important. Children who are being bullied often need the help and support of their friends, just as the moon does in this story.

As I read the reviews and the note, I am reminded that fans of Touching Spirit Bear say its strength is that it helps kids learn and understand bullying and the consequences of bullying. The fact that it gets so much wrong about Tlingit culture is inconsequential. The bullying theme is far more important---to those fans.

How the Moon Regained Her Shape has another thing going for it.... it can be used, according to the marketing page and reviews, to teach about the phases of the moon.

I anticipate that fans of How the Moon Regained Her Shape will say that its use educationally, to teach about the moon, or, to teach about bullying, are more important than the mess it makes of Native culture. And, that we Natives ought to feel good that our culture is used in such good ways.

Americans. Love. Indians. Too often, though, that love is there only when some imagined representation of us can be used for their end-goal.

I object, again, to being used.

How the Moon Regained Her Shape is a success in the book world. The American Booksellers Association listed it as a "Book Sense Children's Pick" in 2006. It is listed in both, the "Accelerated Reader" and "Reading Counts" programs.

Again. I. Object.

And you, teachers, should, too. For critique of the content, read Beverly Slapin's review.