New from Lee and Low is the "Drumbeat Decodable Book Collection" of books meant to teach readers short vowels (a, e, i, o, u) in the context of consonant-vowel-consonant words through stories that provide readers with an Indigenous Perspective. The author of the books is Sandra Samatte. She is Anishinaabe, a member of Ne-biimiskonaan (Skownan) First Nation, Treaty 2 Territory. The illustrations are by Julian Grafenauer, who is also Anishinaabe, and a member of Ditibineya-ziibiing (Rolling River) First Nation, Treaty 4 Territory. The books themselves are published in collaboration with Indigenous Education Press.
These are my notes as I read them:
Duck and Cub shows us a duck and cub playing in the mud, getting muddy, and then playing in a tub to get cleaned up.
Grandfather Rock is about Tom and his dog, Dot. They're out for a jog and see a rock that he likes. A frog tells him not to take it. His mom "comes out of the fog at the bog" and also tells him not to take the rock. The fog swirls around her, making the image of her kind of mystical. Her long black hair flows around her head and shoulders. She's wearing beaded earrings, and a beaded medallion and a belt that has Native designs on it. She's wearing a gray shirt and dark pink sweater, and a muted red skirt. She gives an offering to the rock. On the final page of the story, Tom is holding the rock. The text says he and the dog love Grandfather Rock.
Jan at Camp is about a young girl named Jan. Her dad has a plan for the day: she is going to go to Culture Camp. She is shown in a ribbon skirt, blouse, and her long dark hair is braided. Her dad has jeans, white shirt, and vest. His long dark hair is in braids and some of it is loose behind his head. The camp is "on the Land near Sand Lake." There, a fat cat lives with Elder Fran, who has long white hair that is worn with elastic bands several inches apart, kind of like a pony tail. At the camp, Elder Fran is shown standing beneath a tree, telling a story, and then she teaches Jan and her dad how to tap a tree for sap. Jan is glad to be on the land, learning from Elder Fran.
Rhett and Jet is about two boys with black hair. They are out fishing with a net and catch a fish, a gem, and a shell. Inside the shell is a crab. They want it to be their pet. The boys and the crab play in the water. Then they go home, eat, set up a tent, and go to sleep.
Tim and Robin is about a six-year-old boy and a bird. Tim has black hair, and is shown in a t-shirt and shorts. He watches a robin flying and when it hits its wing, he wants to fix it. He puts it into a can and when Sis (she's got long black hair and is wearing a belted dress) approaches, he hides from her. She finds him and the robin. She asks why the robin is in a can, and on the next page we see the two have brought the robin into their house. They feed it, and it grows and is "now fit." They take it outside and Tim watches it fly.
And now, my comments:
None of the books tell us the nation/nations the children belong to. Without advance preparation from the teacher using the books, these could be children of any nation. There's not enough context to help children understand that there is tremendous diversity across Native Nations, and there's not enough in the books for me to feel comfortable naming an Indigenous perspective in them. A teacher's guide with tribally specific information could help a teacher make optimal use of the books. Without that, teachers may inadvertently fill their knowledge gaps with incorrect information. An example is the Grandfather Rock book. Why is it called that? Do all Native peoples have reverence for rocks, such that they give them offerings? Is it ok to pick up rocks called Grandfather Rock, as Tom is shown doing on the final page of the story? And, how will a teacher answer questions from children about why the rock is called "Grandfather Rock?" Without that information the books are pan-Indian (which means they're all the same) stories. I have a lot of resources that might help me use them if I was teaching in an elementary school classroom, but would I have the time to do that research? Not likely.
Two of the characters (Elder Fran and Sis) strike me as romanticized. I do know Native women who look something like them but most do not. And the way fog and light are used on/around them, the effect is to make them mystical rather than realistic Native women.
The books in this set are meant to be stories with beginnings and endings, but there's gaps in the flow of the text (in the first pages of Grandfather Rock, Tom is not wearing socks but when he's on the dock, he takes off his socks) and sometimes in the clothing the child is wearing (in Tim and Robin he is wearing a yellow t-shirt at the start but later the shirt has a collar).
One good point: the stories with children in them are set in the present day, and they're doing things specific to being Native but they're also doing the sorts of things any kids do (like fishing). The problem as noted above: children will not learn about specific nations. Instead they learn "Indigenous" which can be characterized as a new word for "Indian" which, in effect, depicts us as a monolithic group of people. Whether shown as children of present or past days, monolithic imagery is unacceptable.
As you might observe, I'm disappointed. We need phonics books that depict Native children but this one falls too short from important expectations for it to work, educationally.
