tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post4115977192095468523..comments2024-03-27T14:08:51.191-05:00Comments on American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL): Not Recommended: STONE FOX by John Reynolds GardinerDebbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-61060366949852085112022-10-02T14:31:29.098-05:002022-10-02T14:31:29.098-05:00As someone who grew up in a very white, very racis...As someone who grew up in a very white, very racist community in the middle of nowhere in the northern- Midwest, only a couple of decades ago, who was also often told by family I had native hertiage, but not enough, this book was one of two I'd ever been made aware of with a native character, the other being The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-time Indian. I found it at a second-hand store, or a garage sale, I can't remember which. I loved this book so much I read it three times before donating it to my school's library so that other kids could read it. I looked for this article today because I knew that there were many problems with this publication and I couldn't find any mentioned in reviews of it. I was not disappointed by your arguments, you were very thorough, and I do agree with all your points, and with your goal, this book doesn't belong in any curriculum that isn't specifically aiming to teach the flaws of the viewpoints from which the book was written. As a child I loved Stone Fox very much, the character, I related to him, granted being a kid that typically felt alinated in most situations for a host of reasons we won't get into here, I was in a special position to relate more to Stone Fox than to Willy. Don't get me wrong I liked Willy and Searchlight a lot, and I rooted for them, but I always wanted it to be more about Stone Fox, and I was, even then before I was more educated, disappointed that any answers to my questions about Stone Fox's heritage and legacy seemed very half assed and empty, but the disappointment was not as strong as my appreciation for the fact that for once, not the "Indian" character, but the "cold, calculated, and unfeeling" character was not only shown to have a heart, but became the hero of the story for it. It made me feel like there would be opportunities for me one day to preform a grand jesture that would make people like me, even if only for a moment, and moments like that did come and go for me later. That's what it meant to me from the perspective I had when I discovered this book in the early 2000's. That is why I intend to purchase another second-hand copy for my bookshelf one day, and one day when I have kids and they read it I'll take the opportunity to teach them about perspective, and flawed viewpoints, and the evolution of empathy and awareness of equity over recent decades, and they'll already be much better educated than I was on all the history and context that has been so villinously stripped in so many examples of media "representation" like the one depicted in this book, I'm sure I won't even need to tell them what's wrong with this book, they'll probably be educating me all about it instead XD . Anyway thanks for reading if you did. Sorry if I've misplaced my opinion in this discussion, it is not my intention to intrude, or to disagree with any of your points.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-77283782072617418362021-09-17T14:42:02.499-05:002021-09-17T14:42:02.499-05:00Another idea, rather than not reading the book... ...Another idea, rather than not reading the book... how about teaching the students about bias, and how we can learn from books that depict characters in a stereotypical way. Support the full understanding of how humans make mistakes and we are all learning how to do better. Pair it will nonfiction and fiction writing showing an appropriate view of Native Americans and their heritage. Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05283596754004981003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-37694472102800155022021-07-12T19:49:47.487-05:002021-07-12T19:49:47.487-05:00I hate this book. Thanks for giving me a good way...I hate this book. Thanks for giving me a good way to teach my child about how it misrepresents Native Americans. Kirstenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01386096076588029658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-70038325517596695622020-09-21T11:38:12.325-05:002020-09-21T11:38:12.325-05:00My son just finished reading this book and since i...My son just finished reading this book and since it has been years, I am thankful for this review to refresh my memory and remind me of the harmful stereotypes it teaches. You presented very in-depth explanations to help the reader understand and I feel that those who disagree are often the ones who normally see themselves represented so do not realize the gravity of needing to replace "Stone Fox" for something more accurate about Native Americans. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-89823491883828582682020-05-13T03:24:20.875-05:002020-05-13T03:24:20.875-05:00I really do not agree with removing this book. Don...I really do not agree with removing this book. Don't forget this story is told from a child's point of view! You can't expect a middle grade novel to have all the nuance of an adult novel, so please don't judge it from an "appropriate" adult perspective when it's intended for kids who don't interpret it so in-depth the way you do. Like Anonymous said above, it can be a great gateway to speak about historical injustice without criticizing the book like that.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14166172208352050009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-77178497277461220412019-10-13T15:09:45.318-05:002019-10-13T15:09:45.318-05:00In our school district, the version of the curricu...In our school district, the version of the curriculum they're using has apparently replaced this text with "Indian Shoes" - seeing the name on my (3rd grade) daughter's daily note a couple weeks ago made me worried, but I researched a bit, and then bought a copy, and it's a *much* more appropriate book. <br /><br />kadierahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03303473037288003918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-90014780595170582992019-08-15T16:24:19.765-05:002019-08-15T16:24:19.765-05:00I appreciate the article and am looking forward to...I appreciate the article and am looking forward to looking at the replacement suggestions. One suggestion I have is "The Dreamer<br />by acclaimed author Pam Muñoz Ryan, a novel based on the childhood of Pablo Neruda. It is rich with all the language elements that Lucy Caulkins wants to demonstrate through great literature. And it is published in both English and Spanish. I have class sets of both for my bilingual 4th grade students.<br /><br />Kate D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04731116786523137188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-6430258783889499752019-07-11T13:41:55.212-05:002019-07-11T13:41:55.212-05:00For how long this discussion has gone on, and Lucy...For how long this discussion has gone on, and Lucy’s agreement to remove the book, why hasn’t someone written an accurate story with a similar “tight story arc”? KChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08677138747667752727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-84000197723824141652019-02-07T05:51:42.817-06:002019-02-07T05:51:42.817-06:00Spelling the word, rhetoric, with a k is something...Spelling the word, rhetoric, with a k is something the KKK did. <br /><br />Let's say you have 30 copies of the book. You don't have to use it IN the program that's about helping children love books. Take them out of that particular part of the day and use them for a different kind of lesson where you're teaching children to read critically for racism, white supremacy, etc. <br /><br />To do that, you could put them in groups, use one book per group and after spending time on some critical literacy skills, assign each group a set of chapters to work through together, marking up (yes, writing in the books) the passages they think are examples of Whiteness. Then: group activity. Debbie Reesehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-65768943692432712952019-02-07T04:21:28.627-06:002019-02-07T04:21:28.627-06:00That's it. We have the texts. Isn't it a w...That's it. We have the texts. Isn't it a waste of money to get rid of them? What would you have us do with them? Burn them? This rhetorik sounds familiar. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-86514918074830528362019-02-06T16:23:14.952-06:002019-02-06T16:23:14.952-06:00Anon at 1:10 on Feb 6:
Whether you are Tsuut'...Anon at 1:10 on Feb 6:<br /><br />Whether you are Tsuut'ina Nation or not does not change my perspective. <br /><br />Stone Fox is one of thousands of books that misrepresent Native peoples. <br /><br />If we were to say that a reading program like this one can and SHOULD use flawed texts to teach kids about misrepresentations of Native, Black, Latino, or Asian American students, we'd be putting a lot of money into flawed texts. Don't you think that is a waste of money? Especially in today's educational climate when schools constantly see their budgets made smaller?<br /><br />Wouldn't it be better to provide all children whose schools use the program with wonderful books that accurately depict Native people? <br /><br /><br /><br />Debbie Reesehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-27386400271692705232019-02-06T13:10:34.241-06:002019-02-06T13:10:34.241-06:00I disagree with removing this text. This is a grea...I disagree with removing this text. This is a great way to teach children about perspective. Clearly this is written from a settlers perspective and the perspective of the First Nations is mute. This is a great teaching point that can be addressed. As well, the use of the word "Indian" also leads into a very great conversation about what 'time' this piece was written in and how we know. We could bring about the points mentioned in above posts and cover the nations and treaties that happened in Social Studies and not while we are teaching children to read. This book is a great segway into discussing treaties and the treatment of First Nations Peoples. This is a great time piece reading that is about a courageous boy and an outsider that helps him. This man, the giant scary outsider who happens to be 'Indian' shows compassion at the end. This stone and unfeeling man sees the boys struggle and helps him in the end. This shows students that the perspective on Stone Fox is all wrong. Yes he is an outsider, but there are points where these two very different people can come together or reconcile their differences and help one another. A discussion point can be brought in as to why Stone Fox is trying to buy back the land of his ancestors and what he sacrificed in order to help Little Willy, thus not as other as we may hve originally thought. This is a great lead into SS curriculum where we show alternate perspectives. The problem really lies in that we do not have enough books written from an indigenous perspective. It is really hard to find reading materials for 7 and 8 year olds that teach indigenous perspectives and many teachers lack in knowledge in this area as well, so these talking points are missed.<br /><br />Willy continues talking to Stone Fox, telling him that he (Willie) is going to win the race, and that if he doesn’t, “they” (the government) are going to take their farm away from them. The next day (race day), Willie's eye is swollen shut. - Of course Stone Fox protects his dogs. How does he know the boy is not there to sabotage them for the race. This is something my 7 and 8 year olds students stated when we discussed this point. They do not do the in depth analysis that is done above. They are 7 & 8. <br /><br />As far as I am concerned, this is a great time piece book that demonstrates the ignorance of settles towards First Nations Peoples. Teaching students about the perspectives along the way helps bring out some of the concerns and stereotypes they will come across in many other books. In all books there is a protagonist (Little Willy) and an antagonist (Stone Fox, as he is what is seen as the only person standing in the way between Little Willy's goal). Turns out Stone Fox is willing to help Little Willy even though it means he won't win the money to buy more of his peoples stolen land back. Something that can also be open for discussion. Why would he do that? Why would he stop to help this stranger? Why would Stone Fox stop to help this person who belongs to the people that hurt his people? Maybe there is a bridge to reconciliation here? We are not so different?<br /><br />As far as I am concerned, you can burn whatever books you want, as every book when looked at closely can be ripped apart. I personally LOVE this book and use it in my classroom. <br /><br />Now I want you to think... I left myself anonymous because I know you are assuming I am a settler. What if I said I am from the Tsuut'ina Nation? Does that change your perspective?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-25730653263965756882018-10-02T18:20:32.394-05:002018-10-02T18:20:32.394-05:00Congratulations on the change mentioned in the upd...Congratulations on the change mentioned in the update! That's good news, sorely needed these days...<br /><br />--VeronicaUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18255579796886276754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-14931988065469467532018-09-18T12:53:21.581-05:002018-09-18T12:53:21.581-05:00School librarian here - currently working with a g...School librarian here - currently working with a grade 3 team and our school's literacy coach to hopefully replace this book with Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins; will post about how it's going on Twitter (@FranMellin).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00722003522380222246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-21890109213034317692018-09-04T16:44:07.516-05:002018-09-04T16:44:07.516-05:00Anon at 3:52 on Sept 4: I don't know the progr...Anon at 3:52 on Sept 4: I don't know the program itself, what each book in it is meant to do, so can't make a recommendation. In the FB private group, some are suggesting The Hundred Dresses. Debbie Reesehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-74219674339046330732018-09-04T15:52:29.500-05:002018-09-04T15:52:29.500-05:00Dr. Reese, our teachers would love an alternative ...Dr. Reese, our teachers would love an alternative title for this unit. Do you have any recommendations? <br />Thank youAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-67716635331881176392018-08-26T16:57:45.182-05:002018-08-26T16:57:45.182-05:00She's not asking John Gardiner to un-write the...She's not asking John Gardiner to un-write the book, she's advising Lucy Calkins to take it out of the UoS! Advice should be given to the people who can act on it.Elizabeth Shawhttp://rssreads.blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-63087571188991394372018-08-26T13:27:06.350-05:002018-08-26T13:27:06.350-05:00Also, even if Gardiner was still alive, Calkins sh...Also, even if Gardiner was still alive, Calkins should still revisit the decision of including the book in such a widely used curriculum, as it takes ages for revisions to come out even if they're made willingly. <br /><br />He's dead, so yeah, the responsibility falls fully on Calkins---and a large amount of it in any case would have still been on Calkins' shoulder.Ava Jarvishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01777180628319261015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-55040296760090617552018-08-26T06:50:44.652-05:002018-08-26T06:50:44.652-05:00Gardiner is deceased. If he was not, he may have r...Gardiner is deceased. If he was not, he may have read and responded to the critique. Many writers do, in fact, re-visit their writings and then make revisions. <br /><br />The book is part of a widely used curriculum that Calkins created. The onus is on her to revisit its place in that curriculum. Debbie Reesehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-58804952599780810432018-08-25T20:50:47.116-05:002018-08-25T20:50:47.116-05:00Lucy Calkins did not write the story. Your concern...Lucy Calkins did not write the story. Your concerns should be directed to the authors writing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com