Most readers of American Indians in Children's Literature know that the Caldecott Medal is a big deal.
It and the Newbery Medal are regarded as the most prestigious book awards in children's literature. That means every single library in the country will get a copy. It means visibility in a major way!
When I heard Rob Bittner say aloud "Chooch Helped" --- well, I felt an incredible jolt of adrenaline.
Children in schools whose teachers and librarians feature this Caldecott-winning book in lesson plans, read alouds, and library programming will identify with a big sister's many frustrations with a younger sibling, but along the way they will learn the names of a Cherokee author--Andrea L. Rogers--and a Cherokee illustrator--Rebecca Lee Kunz.
And they will learn some Cherokee words!
That page says "Elisi painted a mural." Beneath the word elisi is its pronunciation. There's also a glossary in the back.
Look at the mural. Each page in the book has Cherokee-specific details. Information about them is in the back.
In the author's note, Rogers tells us about Cherokee artists who did murals and large paintings. She tells us their names and what they did. In the illustrator's note, Kunz tells us that the birds are inspired by heron patterns incised on vessels at an archeological site. These are opportunities to dig in and learn more about Cherokee people, culture, and history.
That's all I got for now. I want to bask in the possibilities radiating from this news!
No comments:
Post a Comment