Children of Native America Today

by Yvonne Wakim Dennis, Arlene B. Hirschfelder, Global Fund for Children

Come along on a photographic journey through America's native nations as seen through the eyes of children.

CHILDREN OF NATIVE AMERICA TODAY invites readers to explore Native nations, focusing on the children who live, learn, and play in tribal communities throughout the United States. These children celebrate a proud heritage, a rich culture, and a close-knit society. They participate in cultural activities such as totem pole carving, storytelling, and dancing at a powwow, as well as enjoying video games, going to school, and other contemporary pastimes.

A map listing the geography of the many nations and culture groups, and resources for further investigation, are included.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these books is donated to innovative programs benefiting children around the world.

Genres: Childrens, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Cultural

64 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2003

Reviews

[Thomasina Dinehdeal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very informative. I have always been interested in learning about Native American and different cultures around the world. There are just so much traditions and people that are very unique. This books gave very good and accurate information about various cultures around the United States. While reading this book, I did not know that New York is the first state to have the largest Native American population and Arizona the third.
The book had very pretty photographs of the people from the different tribes. This was an informational text because at the beginning of the book, there was a table of content page that was arrange by regions in the United States. For example, in the Southwest the tribes that were listed were: Navajo, Pueblo and Havasupai. While reading the book, there was some words that were in the Native language so they would reference the word and have a glossary at the back of the book, which was very helpful.

[Antonio Asencio · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about Native American tribes through the children's perspective. Throughout this book they talk about there lives, talk about there rich cultural heritage. They also talk about how close the indigenous communities are. Although they talk about this as there own tribes but we see this with every tribe. They also partake in cultural activates while also enjoying being a kid.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learn about 25 of the 500+ different communities/tribes in the United States. Originally published in 2003 and published in paperback in 2014.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit dated, but informative and great photojournalism.

[Lanier · Rating 5 out of 5]

While researching which hikes to take, where to camp and understanding the vast expanse of Mesa Verde in the southwestern corner of Colorado, I found this books, which I thought would be awesome for helping young and old review the impact Native Americans continue to have on today's changing world through children. It boggles the mind that there are millions of natives living as they have for centuries. And, when reviewing this book that truly a treasure, though not very well written, I was constantly reminded of American's ability to hate the Others, with Arizona's racist "papers please" policy.

Again, this is not all people from particular races or political parties, because traveling the Central and Southwestern states I met some amazingly beautiful people from all walks of life. Their openness and generosity can be epitomized when we were broken down in Yellowstone National Park and half a dozen different families offered food, drink and help while I waited for the tow truck to get there.

Regardless, this book is chock full of information that all young and old should research further than these cursory 2-page outlines of over 30 indigenous tribes including those of Hawaii, Alaska and Urban ones that have migrated or become assimilated through Industrialization.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bright, engaging photographs accompany this overview of various Native American nations/ tribes. This informational book was highly recommended on Cynthia Leitch Smith’s website, http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/. This book would be a good inclusion to a fourth grade (or older) classroom and could serve as a basic reference and introduction to Native American populations. I would love to use this with upper-elementary students who are studying Native Americans or the various populations that make up the United States. I especially appreciated the map of the United States at the beginning of the book which shows the locations of the various communities discussed in the book. I also liked the focus on children in these communities, which allows students to see what others their age might do, giving accessibility to the subject matter.

However, I do have a criticism as to the layout of the book. While the book has been nicely broken up into North American regions and 2-4 Native groups that are found in each region, this sectioning is only obvious on the table of contents page. Unfortunately, these regions have not been designated or separated in the book itself by chapter headings or individual pages leading to that section.

[Marie Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story line is not particularly riveting but the content is excellent and respectful of a deep cultural heritage in America. The book uses photos of contemporary native children doing activities and just "hanging out". It differentiates between the tribes which can be very diverse. One of the horrors of reservations wss when the US Government lumped Native Americans into one group, sometimes putting arch enemies on the same reservation such as with the Arapaho and the Shoshone.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book describes how the tribes live in today's world. Many of the tribes still practice the dance, gathering and hunting customs of their ancestors, however some of the tribes simply use their ancestors techniques to make baskets or clothing for special events. Some of the tribes have also made deals with the government, giving them some of the food they catch or gather so they can continue to live the the way they are.

[Elizabeth Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

CHILDREN OF NATIVE AMERICA TODAY invites readers to explore Native nations, focusing on the children who live, learn, and play in tribal communities throughout the United States. These children celebrate a proud heritage, a rich culture, and a close-knit society. They participate in cultural activities such as totem pole carving, storytelling, and dancing at a powwow, as well as enjoying video games, going to school, and other contemporary pastimes.