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A Native Lad: Benny Benson Tells Alaska's Story
A Native Lad: Benny Benson Tells Alaska's Story is based on the script of a play by Sarah Hurst, first performed at Tatitlek Community School in January 2010.
The story consists of 16 scenes marking major events in Alaska history, narrated by Benny Benson, the designer of the Alaska flag. Benny travels in time to meet a modern-day high school student named Abigail, who is wondering where her PFD check comes from. The scenes cover the Alaska Purchase through to the statehood movement, the struggle for the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and the discovery of oil at Prudhoe Bay.
This new graphic novel can be used in a classroom setting to teach Alaska history, or it can simply be read for enjoyment by children or adults. Forty pages of supplemental notes further explain each scene and provide questions for group discussion as well as sources of additional reading to research topics in detail..
This graphic novel is illustrated in a varied range of styles by nine superb Alaska artists.
The story consists of 16 scenes marking major events in Alaska history, narrated by Benny Benson, the designer of the Alaska flag. Benny travels in time to meet a modern-day high school student named Abigail, who is wondering where her PFD check comes from. The scenes cover the Alaska Purchase through to the statehood movement, the struggle for the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and the discovery of oil at Prudhoe Bay.
This new graphic novel can be used in a classroom setting to teach Alaska history, or it can simply be read for enjoyment by children or adults. Forty pages of supplemental notes further explain each scene and provide questions for group discussion as well as sources of additional reading to research topics in detail..
This graphic novel is illustrated in a varied range of styles by nine superb Alaska artists.
148 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 21, 2021
Adapted from a play written by the same author, and set during the different phases of Alaska’s history, a young lad named Benny Benson (creator of Alaska’s flag) teaches a young fictional girl named Abigail about Alaska’s history through 16 different comic scenes. Benny teaches her about how and why Alaskans get their PFD’s each year, how the flag was made, about their statehood, their oil, the struggles that indigenous people have had to endure, and more. The third person point-of-view, easy-to-read text, and stylized graphic illustrations from 10 different Alaskan artists, made what is for some a boring topic, interesting and relevant.
AK: Alaska’s Flag, Benny Benson, Permanent Dividend Fund, ANCSA, Prudhoe Bay, Dwight D. Eisenhower, William Seward
Activity: Pair this book with a lesson on Alaskan History. Have students pick one of the 16 scenes to recreate and perform for their classmates.
AK: Alaska’s Flag, Benny Benson, Permanent Dividend Fund, ANCSA, Prudhoe Bay, Dwight D. Eisenhower, William Seward
Activity: Pair this book with a lesson on Alaskan History. Have students pick one of the 16 scenes to recreate and perform for their classmates.
May 19, 2021
Alaskan History, Creation, Graphic Novel
Hurst, Sarah. A Native Lad: Benny Benson Tells Alaska’s Story. Greatland Graphics, 2010. 148 pp. Ages 10-14.
Based on a play by Sarah Hurst, this book explores Alaska’s history, told by Benny Benson the creator of Alaska’s flag, over 16 major scenes of the most remarkable events in Alaska’s history. This graphic novel is a great way to teach students or anyone how Alaska came to be.
Alaska Connection: Alaskan History, Alaska’s Flag Benny Benson
Related Activity: Create how you would want Alaska’s flag to look like.
Hurst, Sarah. A Native Lad: Benny Benson Tells Alaska’s Story. Greatland Graphics, 2010. 148 pp. Ages 10-14.
Based on a play by Sarah Hurst, this book explores Alaska’s history, told by Benny Benson the creator of Alaska’s flag, over 16 major scenes of the most remarkable events in Alaska’s history. This graphic novel is a great way to teach students or anyone how Alaska came to be.
Alaska Connection: Alaskan History, Alaska’s Flag Benny Benson
Related Activity: Create how you would want Alaska’s flag to look like.
June 16, 2019
Great summary of Alaska history sympathetic to its indigenous people. After the cartoons there are sourced historical notes explaining where scenes came from.
Would give this five stars but for the chapters drawn by Peter Dunlap-Shohl. The font used for the dialog were extremely difficult for me to read. Every other illustrator's text was fine.
Would give this five stars but for the chapters drawn by Peter Dunlap-Shohl. The font used for the dialog were extremely difficult for me to read. Every other illustrator's text was fine.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews