Scanning the Bookshelf

Heroic Native American struggles and spiritual legends are part of North America's important history, though woefully short in number on bookshelves. These fascinating, deeply-rooted books pay homage to the hearts and souls of many of our nation's founders.

"Navajo Long Walk" by Joseph Bruchac; illustrated by Shonto Begay; National Geographic Society; 47 pages; $19.

National Geographic does a marvelous job with its children's picture books. They've found a way to present nonfiction in a realistic, moving, optimally photographed and illustrated manner. "The Tragic Story of a Proud Peoples' Forced March From Their Homeland" is the creation of an Abenaki author and Navajo artist, who do justice to a 19th-century tragedy.

In 1864, Kit Carson led an Army raid on the heart of the Navajo nation, destroying homes, taking slaves and leading the thousands of people to a reservation so desolate "only the wind could live there." The general in charge was so hateful and prejudiced that he believed it his duty to "kill the Indian and save the man" in order to "civilize" the Navajos.

It didn't completely work, however, to the triumph of the reader. Many survivors returned to their land of Dinetah. Determined to live in peace, they started the largest Native American nation in the United States.

Beautifully penned — with quotes, careful explanations of the Native Americans' beliefs and icons — and capturing suffering, "Navajo Long Walk" is an enriching read for children 9 and up.

"The Long March" by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick; Tricycle Press; 32 pages; $7.

Deeply moving and highly awarded, this astonishing book, with sensitive black and white illustrations, demonstrates incredible generosity in the face of poverty. The story of how a poor, desolate people reached out to help others across the ocean is life affirming. In 1847, a Choctaw Indian tribe heard about a potato famine in Ireland and scraped together meager earnings to send $170 ($5,000 today) to help.

Narrated by a 14-year-old boy, it's also his story of growing up.

Intergenerational roles play a part, as the entire tribe reveres the wise great-grandmother and her knowledge, and the boy struggles with thinking like a man.

Author's notes add information about the Choctaw Nation, the Irish potato famine and the related Memphis Committee. It also includes explanations of Choctaw phrases and symbols.

Highly moving and brief enough to be a teaching tool or story-time staple, "The Long March" is heartwarming.

"Native Americans: An Inside Look at the Tribes and Traditions" by Laura Buller; DK Publishing; 96 pages; $8.

This "DK Secret Worlds" edition is perfectly sized for a backpack or even a large pocket. Small and compact, the glossy paperback puts Native American facts, stories, photographs and references at the fingertips of young students. The series aims to present "cool facts" to keep kids interested, and boy do they: Navajo parents rubbed spider webs into their daughters' hands to make them skilled weavers, for one.

Bright, colorful and kid-friendly with fact boxes called "Weird World" and lists of related websites, a timeline, a glossary and a regional tribal list, this "Secret Worlds" book fills an information void. It's also fact-worthy, as the consultant is a member of the Penobscot Indian Nation.

"They Came From the Bronx" by Neil Waldman; Boyds Mills Press and The Wildlife Conservation Society; 32 pages; $17.

Subtitled "How the Buffalo Were Saved from Extinction," this grand picture book tells of a grandmother explaining to her grandson about Native American life, the Great Spirit and the near-extinction of the buffalo. While they talk, a convoy of horse carts pulls a bevy of saved buffalo to a ranch in Oklahoma, part of an effort by the Bronx Zoo and Theodore Roosevelt called the American Bison Society. Eventually, the breeding effort was successful across the West; however, this start was particularly moving, as a group of Comanche Indians greeted them so their children could see their first buffalo.

In this lovely tale, the boy is thrilled when the convoy passes by, and the readers will be, too. Old West illustrations and genuine Native American history make this glossy book a winner.

To find out more about Lee Littlewood and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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