Children of the Earth and Sky: Five Stories About Native American Children

by Stephen Krensky, James Watling (Illustrator)

Depicts traditional lifestyles in five different tribes of North American Indians through vignettes set in a time almost two hundred years ago, when they still had much of the continent to themselves

Genres: Picture Books, Native American, History, American History, Childrens, Cultural, Nonfiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Rachel Driscoll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stephen Krensky's "Children of the Earth and Sky" is a compilation of five stories that feature a fictional Native American child. The tribes represented in the stories are the Hopi, the Comanche, the Mohicans, the Navajo, and the Mandans. In each story, Krensky tells a brief story featuring a child of the tribe who is involved in responsibilities linked to the tribe's lifestyle and culture. One example is from the story "A Mohican Hunter" which features a Mohican boy named Red Leaf who leaves his family's wigwam on a snowy morning to dry to hunt deer to help them survive the winter. Another story called "Mandan Gardeners" spotlights a day in the life of a girl named Spotted Deer, who must work hard all day caring for her baby brother and working the family's garden on the northern plains.
This is a wonderful resource for a study of Native American tribes for grades 2-4. Younger students are interested in other cultures particularly when they can explore how other children live. Krensky manages to convey information such as the tribes' homes, location in the U.S., food sources and the responsibilities for boys and girls within the framework of a brief, interesting fictional story. James Watling's illustrations are beautiful and supply great visuals for the tribes' lifestyles and cultures.

[The Reading Countess · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 Native American short stories (Hopi, Comanche, Mohican, Navajos, and Mandan) are included in this book. My favorite part was in the afterword: "Today our attention is often distracted by other things. But even though the world has changed, there is still much we can learn from the Native American way of life."

[Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book we really enjoyed, we just wished the stories would have been longer, and more developed. As it was, it gave a brief picture of each tribe's life and customs, as each story highlighted one child from the tribe and his/her daily routines.

It's a broad look at different regions and peoples of North America; a resource to use as an introduction to a deeper individual study.

[Theresa F.]

The stories contained in this book were brief, and the primary focus of the text seemed to be on various educational facts about Native American tribal life. Still, the author did manage to include some characterization that made the stories' child protagonists seem more like real people.
Did I like it? It was fine for what it was, an educational, though effectively engaging, book for school children.
Would I reread it? I doubt it. While I did find the book interesting, the stories didn't hook me all that strongly, most likely because I'm not in the target age group.
Would I recommend it? Yes. I feel that children could learn a lot from this book, and that it might also spark further curiosity about native peoples.

[Alix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collection of stories about the historical lives of children from five indigenous American groups: Mandan, Mohican, Navajo, Hopi and the Comanche. Though this text is not written by an indigenous American, the text appears to portray the historical lives of these children fairly accurately, without romanticizing their experience. This text would function well as an introduction to a comparative study of historic indigenous groups on the land that is now the United States.

[Montana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t wait to use this book in my classroom! I love the short stories from five different tribes—from the child’s POV!! It provides a broad overview of each tribe and they’re living and traditions. I really like the additional resources as well: map, glossary, afterword, etc. this will make a great “engagement” portion of my Native American unit for my 4th & 5th graders.

[Nahuatl P Vargas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro cuenta la vida de niños ficticios usando datos reales sobre la vida de 5 pueblos originarioos de norteamérica, los Mandan, Mohicanos, Comanche, Navajo y Hopi. Las historias son muy interesantes y reflejan diferentes aspectos de la vida de estos pueblos y al final se incluye un mapa e información adicional sobre cada tipo de vivienda.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for all kids, and lots of adults! It respectfully shows the ways of life of five Native American tribes in the US and Canada. Children can see how their lives would be, in those tribes. Good use of boys & girls, old & young people.

[Lupe Guerra · Rating 1 out of 5]

A philosophical book/lifestyle. I found it hard to follow after a while.