IN OUR MOTHERS' HOUSE by Patricia Polacco

Bibliography
Polacco, Patricia. 2009. In Our Mothers’ House. NY: Philomel Books. ISBN: 9780399250767

Plot Summary
The eldest daughter of Meema and Marmee recounts the good times of her family. Raised by two mothers, three children have a happy and fulfilling childhood. Even one disapproving neighbor cannot come between this family’s love for one another and their community.

Critical Analysis
This story simply chronicles the good times of a family raised by two mothers. It is not preachy. It shows through key events how loving a household with a same sex couple with adopted kids of different ethnicities can be. The illustrations play on the story by showing the characters with huge smiles and lots of hugs to go around. The only conflict is one neighbor who is disapproving of the mothers’ relationship. However, this neighbor is ignored and life goes on.

I wish there was more to this book. I like the idea of a picture book about a family with two mothers raising kids of different ethnicities living in a neighborhood full of people of various cultures. The neighborhood is much like my own. There is a conflict with the one disapproving neighbor, and I feel the book would have more depth if this conflict was explored more in the story. It may even be confusing to children as to why the neighbor is upset because it is not explained why the neighbor is disapproving of the mothers.

The illustrations and text portray that this book is about a lesbian couple raising a multi-ethnic family. Marmee and Meema are portrayed as strong professional women, a pediatrician and paramedic, who make family life a priority. It definitely shows parenting done right, and I think children from non-traditional households will appreciate reading about a non-traditional family presented in such a positive light.

Awards Won & Review Excerpts

• Rainbow List, 2010; American Library Association 
• Booklist: "The energetic illustrations in pencil and marker, though perhaps not as well-rendered as in some previous works, teem with family activities and neighborhood festivity." 
• Kirkus Reviews: "There is a desperate need for books that present queer families as just another part of the American quilt, but this title, despite its obvious good intentions, doesn't do it." 
• The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books: " . . .this might offer a nice balance to the multitudes of heteronormative picture books, and children in similar situations will certainly appreciate seeing their own experiences reflected in their literature."

Connections

• Other books about homosexuality:

          Brannen, Sarah S. Uncle Bobby's Wedding. ISBN 9780399247125
          González, Rigoberto. Antonio's Card. ISBN 0892392045
          Haan, Linda de, and Stern Nijland. King & King. ISBN 1582460612
          Richardson, Justin, and Peter Parnell. And Tango Makes Three. ISBN 0689878451

• Visit Patricia Polacco’s website at http://patriciapolacco.com.

RULES by Cynthia Lord

Bibliography

Lord, Cynthia. 2006. Rules. NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439443822

Plot Summary

Twelve-year-old Catherine tells about her summer. She has a brother, David, with autism, and this can be inconvenient and embarrassing for her at times. Plus, it is not fair that her parents give him most of the attention and always asks her to babysit. However, a new neighbor next door her own age and an unexpected new friend help Catherine to distinguish the things that truly matter from the trivial.

Critical Analysis

Lord takes on a topic that is hard to find in young adult novels, which is autism. Catherine tells her story and conveys to readers her life living with a younger brother with autism. The strength in this novel is that it brings readers closer to understanding the details involved with having a close relative with autism. Catherine describes many things in detail, such as her brother David’s speech patterns, intense emotions, and the frequent therapy visits involved. Readers also get a sense of the hardships that families with autistic children must face, such as Catherine’s resentfulness of always feeling that she must be responsible for her brother.

What I find lacking in this book is there are so many characters that are not developed fully. Catherine’s parents are naïve and seem unaware of the responsibility it takes to raise an autistic child. It seems work is the most important thing to them. Jason’s mother seems to exist just to take him around in his wheelchair. Kris, the new next-door neighbor who Catherine desperately wants to be friends with, comes across as the cookie-cutter shallow type. I was hoping to get more depth from the characters.

Heim (1994 quoted in Vardell) states that in many children’s books characters with a disability are used to grow another character. This is true in Rules. David and Jason, both characters with disabilities, are used so that Catherine reaches enlightenment at the end. Carroll and Rosenblum (2000 quoted in Vardell) state that the character with the disability should grow instead. However, no one knows if David or Jason benefit from emotional growth by the end of the novel.

Despite these shortcomings, I do like the insider perspective the novel gives on autism. Any child with an autistic sibling could benefit from reading this book. Hopefully, they can relate to Catherine’s love for her brother and the distress certain social situations bring.

Awards Won & Review Excerpts

• John Newbery Medal, 2007 Honor
• Schneider Family Book Award, 2007
• Booklist: "A heartwarming first novel."
• Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices: "The parent of an autistic child, Cynthia Lord writes with familiarity and empathy for Catherine and her family."
• Kirkus Reviews: "Catherine is an appealing and believable character, acutely self-conscious and torn between her love for her brother and her resentment of his special needs. Middle-grade readers will recognize her longing for acceptance and be intrigued by this exploration of dealing with differences."
• The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books: "his is an absorbing tale about valuing people even when it’s difficult, and it may encourage readers to consider the benefits and challenges of their own families and friends."

Connections

• Try reading Touch Blue (ISBN 9780545035316) also by Cynthia Lord.
• Try another good read about autism:

           Baskin, Nora Raleigh. Anything but Typical. ISBN 9781416963783

•  Visit Cynthia Lord’s website at http://cynthialord.com.

Reference

Vardell, Sylvia M. 2012. “Culture 6 Inclusive Lit: Cultural Markers; Awards.” Lecture. Texas Woman’s University. Denton, TX.

DOES MY HEAD LOOK BIG IN THIS? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Bibliography
Abdel-Fattah, Randa. 2005. Does My Head Look Big in This? New York: Orchard Books. ISBN 0439919479

Plot Summary
Sixteen-year old Amal is a Muslim and has decided to wear the hijab as a symbol of her religious devotion. However, she knows such a decision will prove a challenge due to the existing prejudices and misconceptions that many people hold concerning her religion. If this is not enough stress, she must also face the normal challenges that many high school girls go through, such as boys, studying for exams, and helping her friends through their problems.

Critical Analysis
This book is about Amal’s journey after deciding to wear the hijab. Through this journey one learns about her spunky personality, her cleverness, her culture, her friends, teenage pressures, and the prejudices that exist concerning Muslims and Middle Easterners. Amal faces many challenges that would make any weak person decide to stop wearing the hijab. However, her maturity is in her resolution to continue to wear it despite the opposition she faces. The setting is Melbourne, Australia. Amal attends a prestigious prep school. Her mom is a dentist, and her dad is a doctor. Despite the well-to-do background of Amal and her friends, they face many events that any teenager can relate to, such as crushes, lying to parents in order to attend a party, and bullying, to name a few. Although there are a few moments where Amal has a preachy moment, such as fussing at her friend Adam about not judging people but individuals, readers will find the characters endearing and cheer Amal on to the end (Abdel-Fattah 2005, 147).

The story is filled with cultural richness. Amal identifies her background as Australian-Muslim-Palestinian and is just as specific about her friends’ backgrounds as well. For instance, her friend Leila is half Pakistani and half British. Distinctions and respect for a variety cultures are made throughout the book. Each culture is treated individually and with respect. There is no lumping of cultures here. Celebrations and religious practices are described as well. For example, Amal describes how her family celebrates Ramadan. There is also a nice description of a Syrian and Afghani wedding that Amal attends where she explains how each Middle Eastern culture has its own version of a dance called the dabke (Abdel-Fattah 2005, 283).

I thoroughly enjoyed this book for a variety of reasons. Ramal is a strong female character. I like how different cultures mentioned, even those outside of the Middle Eastern cultures, are treated with respect. Most importantly, I was able to relate to Amal’s struggle to wear the hijab. I had the same struggle about a year ago trying to decide to wear my African American hair curly and natural. Like Amal, I was afraid that doing so would make it difficult for me to get a job or cause people to judge me unfairly. Like Amal, I made the decision to be myself and all of the worries I had are other people’s problem, not my own.

Awards Won & Review Excerpts

• Best Children's Books of the Year, 2008; Bank Street College of Education
• Booklist Top 10 First Novels for Youth, 2007
• Booklist Top 10 Religious Books for Youth, 2007
• Kirkus Best Young Adult Books, 2007
• Booklist: "More than the usual story of the immigrant teen’s conflict with her traditional parents, the funny, touching contemporary narrative will grab teens everywhere."
• Kirkus Reviews: "Abdel-Fattah's fine first novel offers a world of insight to post-9/11 readers."
• The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books: "But as bad hair days get replaced by bad hijab days, she steadily grows into an increasingly mature and nuanced understanding of what it means to be a Muslim woman, helped by the positive example of her stylish, professional, devout mother and the negative examples of her assimilation-obsessed aunt and her best friend’s tradition-strictured mother."
• VOYA: "This novel is an excellent addition to the multicultural and chick-lit genres, and it is recommended for most collections."

Connections

• Try this other novel by Randa Abdel-Fattah:

          Where the Streets had a Name. ISBN 0545172926

• Other books about Muslims:

          January, Brendan. The Iranian Revolution. ISBN 0822575213
          Kovarik, Chiara Angela. Interviews with Muslim Women of Pakistan. ISBN
          092963649X
          Staples, Suzanne Fisher. Under the Persimmon Tree. ISBN 0374380252

BAMBOO PEOPLE: A NOVEL by Mitali Perkins

Bibliography
Perkins, Mitali. 2010. Bamboo People: A Novel. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.

Plot Summary
Chiko is a Burmese teenager whose father has been taken to prison under suspicion of being a traitor to the government. It is not long after that Chiko is kidnapped by the Burmese government to fight in the army against the native Karenni people. Tu Reh is a Karenni refugee living on the Thailand border. Although the boys are on opposite sides of the fight, their lives converge unexpectedly.

Critical Analysis
Perkins tells a powerful story about the crisis in Burma by providing two sides of a story, that of a Burmese boy forced by corrupt military officials to fight in the army as well as the story of a Karenni boy willfully joining in the fight against the Burmese to resist the government’s taking of their land, homes, and other civil rights. The story is told in two parts, in which the first part develops Chiko’s story and the second is Tu Reh’s. Chiko’s character is developed wonderfully, and it seems as if Tu Reh’s character is not developed as well as Chiko’s although the intention is to make readers sympathetic to both. However, both characters achieve significant emotional growth throughout the novel. Chiko learns the true meaning of friendship by putting his own life in danger in place of another. Tu Reh comes to realize that the enemy is also a human being with family, fears, and kindnesses just like everyone else. These lessons are universal although the setting of a modern war torn Burma with child soldiers is extremely foreign to the average American.

The whole set-up of this story is specific to two Burmese cultures, the Burmese and Karenni people. In an author’s note, the author explains that she lived in Thailand and has first-hand experience with Karenni refugees as well as Burmese teens. Perkins showcases this knowledge in her overall story and also in smaller details throughout the story. For example, characters address each other in accordance to relationship, respect, and age. Chiko’s mother respectfully addresses her next-door neighbor as Ah-Ma, meaning older sister. Foods specific to the Burmese culture are also included in the text. For instance, Chiko’s mother fixes a meal of ngapi (shrimp paste), rice, and curry. However, when researching the culture, I found information explaining that ngapi is actually fish paste in the Burmese culture (Encyclopædia Britannica Online 2012). The shrimp paste is found in Thailand, and curry is a common Thai food as well (Encyclopædia Britannica Online 2012). I wonder how much of the culture is assumed, true, or even researched based on this. The religion seems accurate from what I have been able to find on the culture with mentioning of Buddhists and Christians (Central Intelligence Agency 2012). However, I am an outsider unfamiliar with the culture, and many things in the book may prove true and not easily found in a reference resource.

Despite the possible inaccuracies I have uncovered, I enjoyed this book and its message. I am appalled at the horrors that the people in Burma are currently facing, and my heart goes out to them. I am curious as to how people from within these cultures feel about the book’s cultural authenticity or if the message it sends is more important than anything.

Awards Won & Review Excerpts

• Asian Pacific American Award for Literature, 2010 and 2011 Honor Book 
• Booklist: "Though occasionally didactic and a bit preachy, this is nevertheless a story that invites discussion of the realities of warfare rooted in long-standing antagonism and unreasoning hatred of 'the other.'" 
• Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices: "Mitali Perkins sheds light on the current political oppression in Burma (Myanmar) in this eye-opening story." 
• Kirkus Reviews: "While Perkins doesn't sugarcoat her subject—coming of age in a brutal, fascistic society—this is a gentle story with a lot of heart, suitable for younger readers than the subject matter might suggest." 
• The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books: "Most problematic, though, is the improbable tidying of loose ends, in which all outcomes are far too rosy for even the most optimistic readers to expect in a war story."

Connections

• The Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook contains information about Burma: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bm.html.
• Try reading this fictional book about Burma as well:

          Smith, Roland. Elephant Run. ISBN 9781423104025

• Other books by Mitali Perkins:

          The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen: A Novel. ISBN 0316699438
          Rickshaw Girl. ISBN 9781580893091

References

Central Intelligence Agency. 2012. “The World Factbook: East & Southeast Asia :: Burma.”  Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed November 21. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bm.html.

Encyclopædia Britannica Online. "Myanmar." Accessed November 21. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/400119/Myanmar.

Encyclopædia Britannica Online. "Thailand." Accessed November 21. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/589625/Thailand.

TEA WITH MILK by Allen Say

Bibliography
Say, Allen. 1999. Tea with Milk. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0395904951

Plot Summary
A young Japanese American woman has to move to Japan with her parents after graduating from high school. She misses her old home while trying to adjust to the Japanese culture. Independence is found when she takes a job in Osaka.

Critical Analysis
Tea with Milk is the story of the author’s mother, May, and how she came to meet his father, Joseph. It chronicles the adjustment May had to make as a young woman when she had to move from the San Francisco area all the way to Japan, the home of May’s parents. This picture book shows the struggle between being American and of the Japanese culture, and this struggle is depicted clearly in the text as well as illustrations.

The illustrations clearly show May’s unhappy emotions of feeling like a foreigner in her parents’ home country. May is shown as being lonely at her school in Japan or sad when wearing a kimono. The illustrations show just how different American clothes for women are compared to the Japanese way of dressing. Cultural differences are also indicated in the text. May loves milk in her tea, but the Japanese drink plain green tea. Masako is May’s given name and is what her parents and those in Japan call her. She misses being called May, which is what she was always called in America. Lucky for May, she meets Joseph. Like May, Joseph is of Japanese heritage, but Japan is foreign to him as well. His parents are English, and he likes milk and sugar in his tea.

The illustrations and text also show the varying ways of living in Japan. The town where May’s parents return to is very traditional. Women are expected to marry and wear kimonos. The houses have paper windows. However, the city of Osaka is a noisy and bustling city with lots of cars and tall buildings with glass windows. Osaka feels like America to May.

I think this is a sweet story. However, although it is a picture book, it may not interest preschoolers. The meaning of the story may be difficult for them to understand. Elementary students will appreciate the message that one can make a home and find happiness anywhere. At some time and place in all of our lives, we have all experienced the uneasiness of feeling like an outsider. I like how this theme is told with a simple story about the author’s mother and father.

Awards Won & Review Excerpts

• Best Children's Books of the Year, 2000; Bank Street College of Education
• Notable Children's Books, 2000; ALSC American Library Association
• Smithsonian Magazine's Notable Books for Children, 1999
• Booklist: "Both an 'ugly duckling' romance and a universal story of leaving home, this is a picture book that will have intense appeal for older readers."
• Kirkus Reviews: "In describing how his parents met, Say continues to explore the ways that differing cultures can harmonize . . ."
• The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books: "Say has a gift for descriptive prose that effectively communicates the emotional nuances of his family stories; that gift lifts his stories above nostalgia and invites young listeners and readers to an understanding of the passage of time, the impact of distance."

Connections

• Other books by Allen Say:

          The Boy in the Garden. ISBN 9780547214108
          Kamishibai Man. ISBN 9780618479542
          Music for Alice. ISBN 0618311181

• Find out more about Allen Say on the Reading Rockets website: http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/say/.

• Other Japanese fiction books:

          Meehan, Kierin. Hannah's Winter. ISBN 1933605987
          Preus, Margi. Heart of a Samurai: Based on the True Story of Nakahama 
          Manjiro. ISBN 9780810989818
          Uehashi, Nahoko. Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit. ISBN 9780545005425

WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON by Grace Lin

Bibliography
Lin, Grace. 2009. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 9780316052603

Plot Summary
Minli and her parents are poor. They live in a village where Fruitless Mountain and the Jade River meet. It is hard to grow anything on the land near the village and so they live a life of hard work with meager reward. In the evenings, Minli loves to hear stories told by her father. Minli becomes inspired to find good fortune for her family from one of her father’s stories about the Old Man of the Moon who can answer any question. Thus, an adventure begins when Minli steals away from home to seek an answer from the Old Man of the Moon on how to bring fortune to her family.

Critical Analysis
Grace Lin explains at the end of her book how the story of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon came about. The text mends together Chinese folktales and fairy-tales which were her inspiration for embracing her culture. Visits to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China gave her the inspiration for many of her illustrations. A little imagination and some embellishments give us a wonderful story filled with love, adventure, and even a lesson learned at the end.

Like any traditional children’s tale, the plot involves a journey. Little Minli goes out alone to seek the Man of the Moon to find out how to bring fortune to her family. She meets many characters on her way including monkeys, a dragon, goldfish, twins, a king, and a goddess. The characters are all simple and easily understood. Yet, they are interesting and aid Minli in some way in finding the Old Man of the Moon. Throughout Minli’s journey, there is always a story to be told that explains a situation or how something came to be. For example, “The Story of Fruitless Mountain” explains why the village and the mountain are so barren. These stories come up throughout the chapters and in the end, one finds that they all connect together seamlessly.

I did a disservice to myself by reading this book on my Kindle. A book trailer from Lin’s website reveals beautifully colored illustrations that I was not able to experience on my black and white Kindle screen! Rich hues of red, blue, green, yellow, and purple bring the simple sketches to life. All characters are in traditional Chinese dress with long, straight black hair pinned up. This, with the rural settings, truly takes readers into a faraway land where anything can happen. It all reveals the beauty and imagination of the Chinese culture.

Although some may argue that the mystical setting and embellishments may take away from the authenticity of the book, the book is a fairy-tale. Until now, I have had no exposure to Chinese fairy-tales, and I find this one to be even more enjoyable than the European tales I grew up with. Unlike European fairy-tales, there is not much about good winning over evil. Lin’s tale focuses on being happy with what you have and the journey to get there. I feel that this focus alone is what makes this book so authentic to the Chinese culture.

Awards Won & Review Excerpts

• Cybil Award, 2009 Finalist Middle Grade Fantasy & Science Fiction
• John Newbery Medal, 2010 Honor Book
• Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature, 2010 Winner
• Booklist: "With beautiful language, Lin creates a strong, memorable heroine and a mystical land. Stories, drawn from a rich history of Chinese folktales, weave throughout her narrative, deepening the sense of both the characters and the setting and smoothly furthering the plot. Children will embrace this accessible, timeless story about the evil of greed and the joy of gratitude."
• Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices: "Grace Lin deftly inserts a series of tales inspired by traditional Chinese folktales into the larger tapestry of Minli’s extraordinary journey that is full of adventure and trials. Gorgeous book design augments this fast-paced fantasy, including occasional full-page color illustrations, chapter heading decorations, and a typeface treatment that visually distinguishes the folktale segments from the overarching story of Minli’s quest."
• The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books: "While the conclusion is somewhat contrived, readers will enjoy following the feisty heroine as she travels through this lush, mythical world; the episodic structure also lends itself easily to reading aloud, and listeners will be eager to share tales of their own journeys."

Connections

• Grace Lin has a wonderful website at http://www.gracelin.com/. There is background information and activities for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon there. Try some of the book related activities: http://www.gracelin.com/content.php?page=wherethemountainmeetsthemoon&display=activities.
• Other books by Grace Lin:

          The Year of the Dog: A Novel. ISBN 9780316060028
          The Year of the Rat: A Novel. ISBN 031611426X

•  More Chinese Fairy-Tales:

          Bedard, Michael. The Painted Wall and Other Strange Tales. ISBN 0887766528
          Napoli, Donna Jo. Bound. ISBN 0689861753
          Yep, Laurence. Dragon Prince: A Chinese Beauty & the Beast Tale. ISBN
          0060243813

CROSSING BOK CHITTO: A CHOCTAW TALE OF FRIENDSHIP & FREEDOM by Tim Tingle, Ill. by Jeanne Rorex Bridges

Bibliography
Tingle, Tim. 2006. Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom. Ill. by Jeanne Rorex Bridges. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press. ISBN 9780938317777

Plot Summary
Martha Tom, a Choctaw girl, disobeys her mother, in a search for blackberries, by crossing the Bok Chitto River over to the side where there are plantations. There, she meets a slave boy, Little Mo, and forms a friendship with him. When Little Mo finds out that his mother is being sold to another plantation, he convinces his family to escape across the Bok Chitto because any slave who crosses that river becomes free by law. Brave Martha Tom and her people devise their own plan to help Little Mo and his family across Bok Chitto.


Critical Analysis
This story is a treat! Never before have I seen two cultures intermixed in a single historical setting with such authenticity. The story occurs among the Choctaws and African American slaves living on opposite sides of the Bok Chitto River in Mississippi. My family has a version of this story. We are from Louisiana and have Choctaw heritage mixed with our African American one, so we think. My mother and her sisters have always told a story about how we have an ancestor who escaped from slavery aided by the Choctaws. I never knew that there were such stories told by the Choctaws. I shared this story with my mother, and we both view it as a gift. We now know that there may be truth in the stories that have been passed down in our family. We value Tingle’s inclusion of a picture of Louisiana Choctaws in his notes at the end of the story. In Tingle’s notes at the end of the book, he chronicles how the idea for the story came about and includes a write-up about today’s Choctaws in Mississippi and Oklahoma.

I would like to discuss cultural authenticity on the part of all races presented in the story, Caucasian, Choctaw, and African American. The shades of various skin tones make it easy to spot the various races in the illustrations. The light brown skin of the Choctaws, the darker brown of the African Americans, and the paleness of the Caucasians cause an immediate connection as to what is being portrayed in the illustrations. However, variance in shades of skin tone would have been nice as well. Each person of a specific race is colored with the same shade although all races have skin tone variances. The clothing is another dominant cultural marker. The slave owners have fine garments that look clean and warm. The Choctaws in their strikingly white wedding ceremony dresses allow the reader to see why the slave owners thought they were seeing angels. The poor and drab clothing of the slaves depict the conditions they must have lived in. Hairstyles and hair textures are nicely done as well. The long dark hair of the Choctaws, the short curly hair of the African Americans, and the proper well-maintained hairstyles of the slave owners are all in accordance with the time period and cultures. These are all visuals, and so the illustrations truly enhance the story.

The emotions and mood the illustrations portray are touching. The close-ups of the father and mother crying when they find out mother will be sold are sorrowful. Martha Tom’s mother looks so caring when Little Mo runs to her for help. As mentioned before, the visual of the Choctaw women in their dresses is striking. With their candles, they do look like angels. Little Mo’s family resembles spirits when they escape, shrouded by fog, right under the watchful eyes of the guards.

This story will appeal to Native Americans as well as African Americans. Very few stories honor two cultures like this one. Thank you, Mr. Tingle, for sharing a story about your people. Tingle states that his culture trusts stories more if they are told amongst each other by word of mouth. My culture trusts things more in written form. By writing this story down and explaining how it came about, Mr. Tingle has probably shown many African Americans that this story they have passed down through word of mouth for so long as well has truth.

Awards Won & Review Excerpts

• American Indian Youth Literature Award, 2008
• Best Children's Books of the Year, 2007; Bank Street College of Education
• Notable Children's Books, 2007; ALSC American Library Association
• Oklahoma Book Award, 2007
• Booklist: "In a picture book that highlights rarely discussed intersections between Native Americans in the South and African Americans in bondage, a noted Choctaw storyteller and Cherokee artist join forces with stirring results."

Connections

• Other books by Tim Tingle:

          When Turtle Grew Feathers: A Folktale from the Choctaw Nation. ISBN
           0874837774
          Saltypie: A Choctaw Journey from Darkness into Light. ISBN 9781933693675

• Other books featuring Native Americans or their stories from North America:

          Bruchac, Joseph. Jim Thorpe's Bright Path. ISBN 9781584301660
          Erdrich, Lise. Bears Make Rock Soup and Other Stories. ISBN 0892391723
          Goble, Paul. Love Flute: Story and Illustrations. ISBN 0027362612
          McDermott, Gerald. Coyote: A Trickster Tale from the American Southwest. ISBN
          0152207244   

• Other books about escaping from slavery:

          Carbone, Elisa.Night Running: How James Escaped with the Help of his Faithful 
          Dog. ISBN 9780375822476
          Hegamin, Tonya Cherie. Most Loved in all the World. ISBN 0618419039
          McCully, Emily Arnold. The Escape of Oney Judge. ISBN 9780374322250
          Walter, Mildred Pitts. Alec's Primer. ISBN 9780916718206