Not Recommended: STORIES CALIFORNIA INDIANS TOLD by Anne B. Fisher

Several readers have asked me about Stories California Indians Told by Anne B. Fisher, illustrated by Ruth Robbins. It came out in 1957 from Parnassus Press in Berkeley, California. 

Whenever I am asked about a book, the first questions I pose are these: Who wrote it? When did it come out? What are the author's sources? What verb tense is used? I also consider the title and what it conveys. 

I'd like everyone to pose those questions, too. 

With this book, we see a problem right away in the title. The problem is the word "told." It implies the stories are not being told today. Switch that past tense word for its present tense form: tell. If the title was Stories California Indians Tell, it conveys a living people. I am not suggesting a simple change in a verb in the title would make this book acceptable. 

As far as I am able to ascertain, the author and illustrator of the book are not Native. 

Its publication date is 1957. What awareness did the author and her editor have, about Native peoples and how we feel about representation? Native people knew we were being misrepresented but did not have access to tools we have today (social media). Since then, the publishing world has become more informed and I doubt this book would get published. 

In the book's Forward, I see that the source is Dr. C. Hart Merriam, who "wrote the tales down just as they were told to him by Indian story-tellers." Merriam then told the stories to Fisher (the author), who "turned them into stories for children and young people." One option a researcher can do is look for the source material and compare the source with how it was adapted (in this case, by Fisher). What was left in? What was not used? But when doing that particular kind of study, you'd need to see how reliable the source (C. Hart Merriam) was. In previous studies I've done, I've found those sources lacking. People who gathered the source material were outsiders looking in, not understanding what they were observing. They sometimes forced their own interpretations on what they observed. 

The Forward is written by an anthropology professor at San Francisco State College. His name: Adan E. Treganza. In the forward, several specific tribal nations are named by geographical location. All through there, however, are past tense verbs. Treganza uses "stories" and "myths" and "tales" to describe the contents of the book. In the final paragraph, Treganza writes that the characters in the myths do things that "appear to be impossible." He continues (p. 6): 

California Indians, like all other people, were imaginative and attempted to explain in their myths the world of nature around them. Animals, reptiles, or insects were often given the ability to think and speak like humans and to exert almost unlimited physical powers. Yet these stories were very real to Indian children and adults, as real as our own legendary tales are to us." 

At the moment, I'm looking at verb tense again. The stories "were" real. Are they not real anymore? It pains me to write something that should be obvious to everyone, but, Native peoples in California tell stories, today. Do they tell the ones in this book? I'm doubtful. Let's look at the first one.

The first story in Stories California Indians Told is "How California Was Made." In it, "the Medicine Man of the Gabrielino Indians" sees leaves falling, which signals that "the time for story telling was here." He paints his body, puts on a headdress, went outside of his hut, and called out "Come sit around the fire and I will tell you a story." From all the huts around his, Indian men and their wives and the Indian boys and girls came running. The people loved stories and they loved Medicine Man to tell them." The story he tells is about how the Great Spirit made land using several turtles, who he told to get in a long north-south line, head to tail, with the three at the southerly end placed more towards the east. "You'll make a wonderful California!" he told them. 

The story goes on but I'll pause there so we can critically analyze the information summarized above. 

In the first story in this book, we're asked to believe that a Native man whose people have lived on this continent since time immemorial is telling his people their creation story -- and calling their land by a name outsiders gave to that land. 

When you search the etymology of the word California, you'll find many sites saying it is from a Spanish novel published in 1510. What did Native peoples of the state currently known as California call that land before Europeans invaded their lands? The story says "Gabrielino" Indians, but what did that particular group call themselves, originally, in their own language? By focusing on "Gabrielino" and "California" we can see the problem. This is outsider perspective, and as such, is not something that should be used to teach anybody about the original peoples of California. 

And what the heck -- all the people in this village came running to hear the story?! Creation stories are sacred. 

In short, Stories California Indians Told is not recommended. 

I encourage educators to read and use On Indian Ground edited by Joely Proudfit as a resource! It'll help you make informed decisions about old and new books. 

Highly Recommended: LET'S GO! haw êkwa! BY JULIE FLETT

Let's Go! haw êkwa!

Written and illustrated by Julie Flett (Cree-Metis)

Published in 2024

Publisher: Greystone Kids

Reviewer: Jean Mendoza

Review Status: Highly Recommended

What a treat I had tonight! While browsing through a shelf of the newest books in the children's department at our library, I came across several by Indigenous writers and illustrators. One of them was this sweet-and-substantial story of skateboarding, inspiration, friendships, and fun by award-winning artist Julie Flett.

Here's how the publisher summarizes the book:

Every day, a little boy watches kids pass by on skateboards, and dreams of joining them. One day, his mother brings a surprise: her old skateboard, just for him! haw êkwa! Let’s go! Together, they practice on the sidewalk, at the park, in Auntie’s yard—everywhere. But when it comes time to try the skatepark, the skateboarders crash down like a waterfall. Can he find the confidence to join them?

There are many, many reasons I like and recommend this book.  Here are four.

Reason #1 for recommending Let's Go! haw êkwa!: The illustrations.

The back matter tells us the illustrations were rendered in pastel and pencil, composited digitally. They have the feel of cut paper collage, without feeling stuck to the page. They remind me of what a good sports photographer can do -- "freezing" the subject in a way that implies continuing action. Two "learning to skateboard" pages show phases of the process, including a mishap, each with its own space. Many other illustrations are two-page spreads; the ones that showcase the fluidity of skateboarding are especially impressive. 

Reason #2: use of the Cree language

The Cree phrase "haw êkwa!" (part of the title) means something like, "Okay then!" according to Flett's note to readers at the end of the story. She explains that she and her son became interested in Cree words to describe the "flow state" skateboarders can experience, so they consulted friends at the Cree Literacy Network, who came through with several words and phrases to share with readers. Intriguing! It's possible I've missed something in other books, but this is the first time I've encountered use of Indigenous words to talk about such complex concepts in a book for young children. Of course there is much to gain in sharing Indigenous names for objects, colors, and numbers; this provides additional layers of respect for and knowledge about an Indigenous language.

Reason #3: all kinds of affirmations 

When one of my young relatives was into skateboarding years ago, they said there was a lot of animosity toward skateboarders. That's probably still the case in some places -- but not in Let's Go! Julie Flett dedicates the book to a young skateboarding enthusiast who sought her out at a book-signing, and to her sons and their friends in their skateboarding community. The protagonist and friends are many shades of brown, reflecting the diversity of their group and contradicting the mistaken notion that skateboarders are primarily white. This appears to be a single-parent family, and it's portrayed as loving and supportive. Not only does Mom give her son her old skateboard -- she also drives the children all over the place to visit skate parks! 

Reason #4: read-aloud potential

Teachers who share the book can invite children to participate in the reading in several ways. At the appropriate times, they can call out, "Let's go! haw êkwa!" They can make the sound of the wheels on pavement: "cacussh, cacussh, cacussh." They can move their bodies as the skateboarders do in the illustrations. After the story, they may want to talk about their own ways of getting involved in an activity. Do they usually jump right in, or do they watch and learn for a while before telling themselves, "Let's go!" They might also want to think about experiences that give them the feeling that they have "become a part of something -- and myself," as the protagonist has.

I am quite a fan of Let's Go! haw êkwa!  I'm hoping every librarian, teacher, and relative of a child reads it and shares it -- and buys multiple copies for their shelves and to give to children.

Highly Recommended: I'M FINDING MY TALK, by Rebecca Thomas, illustrated by Pauline Young

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I'm Finding My Talk

by Rebecca Thomas (Mi'kmaw)

Illustrations by Pauline Young

Published in 2019

Publisher: Nimbus Publishing

Reviewer: Debbie Reese

Review Status: Highly Recommended

****

A reader wrote to ask me about I'm Finding My Talk. I did not know about the book prior to being asked about it. I was able to get a copy and deeply touched by it. The author's father was in a residential school in Canada. Because of his experience at the school, he was not able to teach Thomas about their language or culture. In the US those schools -- designed to 'kill the Indian and save the man' -- are called boarding schools. 

When I started reading it, I saw that Nimbus (the publisher) dedicated it to Gregory Younging. He was a leading figure in publishing of Native people in Canada. He was Cree. I saw that Thomas dedicated it to her father. So did Young. Her "I will do my best, Dad" embody so much of the emotion and tenacity Native people in the US and Canada carry as we move forward on our homelands. We work to preserve what we have and we work to recover what was taken from us.

Here's the words Thomas gives us on the first page: 

I'm finding my talk.

The one I never had.

The one that the schools

Took away from my dad.

Young's illustration shows us Thomas's father, eyes closed and head down as he stands in front of the residential school he was at when his talk was taken from him. Together, Thomas's words and Young's illustrations give us facts. 

I deeply appreciate the page because these facts are often rendered in overly dramatic ways that take the dignity from the persons being depicted. That dignified presentation continues throughout the book. We see Thomas learning words and getting to know people in her family and community, and their cultural ways. 

This picture book is outstanding. It leaves room for readers to see, and to come to understandings of what those schools did to Native people. Because it is a picture book, some may think it belongs in an elementary school classroom, but I encourage you to read and talk about it in classrooms at every grade level. It touches me, personally. Our cultural ways were always part of me but language? Not so much. My parents were at boarding school. So--Thomas is speaking to any Native people who are learning their language, and she's speaking to non-Native people who don't know about residential or boarding schools. 

In interviews, Thomas tells us that she read Rita Joe's poem (also a book illustrated by Young), I Lost My Talk and was inspired to write I'm Finding My Talk. I'll look for Rita Joe's book and review it here. In the meantime I'll be thinking about this book as I go through my day. 

Highly Recommended: THIS LAND: THE HISTORY OF THE LAND WE'RE ON by Ashley Fairbanks; illustrations by Bridget George

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

This Land: The History of the Land We're On

Written by Ashley Fairbanks (White Earth Anishinaabe)

Illustration by Bridget George (Anishinaabe from Kettle and Stony Point First Nation)

Published in 2024

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers

Reviewer: Debbie Reese

Review Status: Highly Recommended

****

Wow! I love how this book starts! The words on the first double-paged spread say "This is my house." Behind it is a river. Beside the house is a tall pine tree. We see a family by the tree. 

Turn the page and see "Before us, another family lived here." On that page, the illustrations are family portrait style. Four different families are shown, each family unique, each clad in modern clothes. 

Turn the page again and we read the words "Before our house was here, there was another family, with a different kind of house." On that page we see see wigwams in a village and the families who lived in them. The people in that village are wearing clothes with Anishinaabe designs. Behind that village is the river we saw earlier, and that tree? It is a small, young tree.

All the faces and families up to that point are cheery, happy. With the words and illustrations on these pages, Fairbanks and George take us from the present into the past, helping readers see, learn, and feel that the land they're on was someone else's before. 

Another page turn and we get hard history. That phrase is used a lot in social justice networks and curriculum, where educators choose to share truths about history that are often omitted. It is a fact that Europeans who came onto Native homelands wanted that land, and the government helped them get it by removing Native peoples from their homelands. We see that on the next page turn. Here's a portion of that page: 

(Image from my copy of the book)

It is followed by another page of hard history. 

But then, we turn the page again and see the little girl from the very first page, running down the street to her friend's house. That friend, TJ, is Anishinaabe. We see him and his grandma standing in a doorway, smiling and waving at the little girl. 

With another page turn we see the little girl, TJ, and his grandmother making bread. The little girl tells us that TJ's grandmother told her about other Native people. At the top of the page, we see nine different people in traditional clothing. 

Picture me, smiling! One of them is a Native woman who is dressed the way I dress when I'm home for one of our ceremonies. That 'wow' I felt when I first read the book continues! The little girl is on a road trip. Here's a sentence you'll get to: 

At the Grand Canyon, I learned that eight tribes call it home: the Havasupai, Yavapai, Paiute, Hopi, Zuni, Hualapai, Apache, and Diné.

Note: Eight tribes call it home. Present tense verbs! In workshops and professional development, I push very hard to encourage educators to use present tense verbs to talk about us. Again, picture me smiling! 

This book is going to be featured in my work, for sure! Another page spread tells us that Disney World is on Seminole land, the White House is on Nacotchtank and Piscataway land, and that Mount Rushmore is on Oceti Sakowin land. There's a link to a database to see what land you (reader) are on, and that page is followed by a page of discussion questions and suggestions to learn more about the people of that land. Illustrations on that page show Native people holding up signs with their tribal nation's name. 

Can you feel and understand why I highly recommend this book? Get more than one copy if you can, and if you'd like to support Native-owned bookstores, go there (in person or on line). One option is Birchbark Books. This could be an illustration of me. GET THE BOOK! 

(Image from my copy of the book)

Highly Recommended! BOOZHOO! HELLO! by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley

 

Boozhoo! Hello! 

Written and illustrated by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (member 

of Wasauksing First Nation)

Translated by Mary Ann Corbiere (Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory)

Published in 2024

Publisher: Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press

Reviewer: Debbie Reese

Review Status: Highly Recommended

****

As you see, we are giving this book a 'highly recommended' review. But... 

Some books are delightful! 

I could also say 'delightfully recommended' because it is precisely the sort of book I would have used back when I was teaching kindergarten and first grade, and that I would have read to our daughter when she was little. Most elementary school teachers know this style of book. Questions are posed and answers given in the text but we can answer as we please, in the moment! 

Cast your eyes up to the cover, above, and look at that wolf's smile as it looks over its shoulder. See the joy in its face? That's where the delight is. The style of Pawis-Steckley's art is called Woodland. In an author's note he tells us he began drawing this book for his newborn daughter. As she grew, he shared the art he was creating. She would clap and smile. I read that author's note after I read the book. I had felt something special as I read it, and now that I have read the author's note, I get it. His illustrations are infused with his daughter's clap, and her smile. 

The format for Boozhoo! Hello! is this: on the left side of the double-paged spread is a page filled with an illustration. Facing it is a page of text in large font. Those words, as you might guess by the book's title, are in Anishinaabemowin at the top half of the page and English at the bottom half, as shown below.

This marvelous book begins with a rising sun and moves through a day's journey. On that first page, it is morning in the woods. "What" I imagine myself saying enthusiastically to a group of children, "do you see?" The sun! Flowers! Trees! Someone would say 'there's an animal behind the trees.'  It is the wolf! When we turn the page we see this:

One of my favorite pages is the one with a young otter on its back in the water, splashing, smiling, playing. A dear one in my own family loves otters. I think he's gonna like that page. 

See why I'm so delighted? 

As we near the end of the book, we see a page where three "little ones" (children) are asked what they hear. Turn the page and we see these words:

gookookoo debtaagzit

dbaajmat dbikak?

Shhh! Mbe nbaak!

Nahaaw, gookookoo.

Gga-waabmin.

an owl hooting

goodnight?

Shhh! It's time to sleep 

now.

Goodnight, owl. 

Imagining myself again, reading that last page in a quiet voice and pointing out the moon, the stars, the owl's closed eyes...  

Highly Recommended: NAVAJO CODE TALKERS by Danielle C. Burbank

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Navajo Code Talkers

Written by Danielle C. Burbank (Diné)

Published in 2024

Publisher: Dorling Kindersley

Reviewer: Debbie Reese

Review Status: Highly Recommended

****

I love that Danielle C. Burbank (Diné) opens her book, Navajo Code Talkers, with the word Yá'át'ééh! It signals that we're going to learn about the Code Talkers from someone for whom this is not a subject. Instead, it is her family's life.

On that first page, she tells us her grandfather served as a Code Talker in the US Marines, that the Navajos refer to themselves as Diné (it means "the People"), and that readers will learn about Diné culture, language, and lifeways. 

At the bottom of that page is a photo of Burbank and her grandfather, Deswood R. Johnson, Sr. 

Later, you'll see photos of her daughter and her great grandmother. What we are fortunate to have in this book, is information rooted in her family, her tribal nation, and its history. Earlier this week I wrote about Olympic Gold Medal winner Billy Mills, and that in his book, he tells us that his Native ancestors didn't give up when odds were against them. Their steadfast way mattered to Billy Mills. I see that 'didn't give up' attitude throughout Navajo Code Talkers. 

Because this book is from an insider's perspective, we learn about how Diné culture shapes their way of being in the world and how it shaped how the Code Talkers became who they are and how they persevere when odds are against them. Burbank tells us about kinship and how that mattered, and matters. 

She introduces us to several Diné Code Talkers and their experiences with, for example, boarding school. On page 23, we meet Samuel Tom Holiday, who talks about his older brother, Henry, and how Henry helped Samuel prepare for boarding school. Teachers who are providing students with information about boarding schools will find his story compelling. 

I particularly like the photo on page 10, showing Diné school children reading a signpost at Dream Diné School in Shiprock, New Mexico. Words on the signpost are in their language. Each one points to their sacred mountains. But, as I read on, I find that Burbank does an excellent job of making readers understand that the Code Talkers are not simply a group of Marines. She humanizes them--pulling them from mythical status as vital to a war effort--to a place of knowing them as parents and grandparents whose parents and grandparents had been through a lot, and persevered. 

There's a lot in this book meant for fourth and fifth graders that most people haven't learned. By that, I mean people should read it, regardless of age. You can order it directly from the publisher. I got an e-copy for a few dollars. 

I'm grateful to Burbank for all she did to make this book available to all of us, Native or not. Others are, too. Her nation's library hosted her for a reading a few days ago. And take time to read Diné author writes Navajo Code Talkers book for elementary school readers in Source NM. 

Highly Recommended: WINGS OF AN EAGLE: THE GOLD MEDAL DREAMS OF BILLY MILLS, by Billy Mills and Donna Janell Bowman, illustrated by S. D. Nelson

                  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 

Wings of an Eagle: The Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills

by Billy Mills (Oglala Lakota) and Donna Janell Bowman (not Native)

Illustrated by S. D. Nelson (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe)

Published in 2024

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Reader

Reviewer: Debbie Reese

Review Status: Highly Recommended

****

I spent several hours over the last two weeks, watching the 2024 Olympics. Part way in, I saw that Billy Mills was there. He was sharing photos to his Facebook page. I pulled up the video of his race and shared it with my family. I've seen it many times before, but every time I watch it, I feel a huge surge of excitement. And joy, and pride. Take a look:

Pretty cool, isn't it?!

Now, order a copy of his autobiographical picture book, Wings of an Eagle: The Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills! I've heard him speak and know some of his life story but I'm really glad to see his book. Published on July 2, 2024 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, I got my copy during the 2024 Olympics. 

There are many pages that stood out as I read the book. His parents died when he was a child. His dad's words after his mother's death become a refrain as he grows into adulthood. A photographer asked him to step away from a group of runners because of his skin color. 

In this post, I focus on the page in his adulthood when he's a Marine at a base in California. Up to then, he ran in high school at Haskell Institute in Kansas, and then in college at the University of Kansas. On the page where he talks about the grueling training he does while he's in the Marines, we read:

I visualize the finish-line tape breaking across my chest 

again and again, 

as if fueled by Indigenous ancestors

who didn't give up when all odds were against them.

Their footsteps are etched into the earth

like a story waiting to be told.

When I qualify for the 1964 Olympics,

I carry the hopes of many.

Because we are stronger together.

I'm going to repeat (and put in bold) some of those words, here: "fueled by Indigenous ancestors who didn't give up when all odds were against them." Across the US and Canada, I hear similar words from Native people. Fueled by Indigenous ancestors who didn't give up. Heck, that guides me, too! When things feel weighty I remember Po'Pay and Pueblo ancestors who didn't give up in the 1500s when European invaders sought to destroy us. Native leaders negotiated to protect the generations that came after them. I suppose some of you are thinking my words here are sappy, but that's ok. I'm here. Billy's here. We're here. 

And he's leading, still! Mills established an organization called Running Strong for American Indian Youth. The final pages of the book provide many photos of his work with youth. Back matter also includes a terrific note from Mills, one from the illustrator, S. D. Nelson, and one from the co-author, Donna Janell Bowman. If you've heard me in a professional development workshop, you know I direct teachers, librarians, parents, and caregivers to study the back matter before using the book with children! There, you'll get information you probably never had before you picked up this wonderful book. 

Update at 4PM on August 13: There's a curriculum guide! Written by Dr. Natalie Martinez! She rocks. Download and use it. 

I'll end this review with a request to get multiple copies of the book for your classroom and school library, and with S.D. Nelson's illustration of Billy crossing the finish line. See the joy in Billy's face? And look at that eagle (remember I said his dad's words become a refrain?)! Highly recommended!