Moonsong Lullaby

by Jamake Highwater, Marcia Keegan (photographer)

The Moon watching over the night is an important theme in Native American lore. It is said that the Moon sings to soothe the sleep of the Sun as she makes her path across the night sky.
This original lullaby is inspired by the ancient stories and Jakame Highwater's own deep feelings for the natural world as his ancestors knew it.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Jamake Highwater, born as Jackie Marks, and also known as Jay or J Marks (14 February 1931–June 3, 2001), was an American writer and journalist of eastern European Jewish ancestry.[1] From the late 1960s he claimed to be of Native American ancestry, specifically Cherokee. In that period, he published extensively under the name of Jamake Highwater. One version of his shifting story was that he had been adopted as a child and taken from his Indian home in Montana to grow up in a Greek or Armenian family in Los Angeles, California.

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok well I was just reading that the author (whose real name was James/Jack Marks) was not Native American and that's kind of crappy, at least for this Native American project I am working on at the moment. I actually really liked this book. I loved the Lullaby and the pictures were good too. Here are some of my favorite lines:
"Mushrooms spring up in the cool damp of the darkness, and lilies unfold pale blooms. Roots nuzzle the good earth, burrowing into the depths where silent waters flow." Also this one: "Listen carefully, child. The singing is everywhere. The dark trees, the clouded sky, the mountains, the grasslands all echo the Moons mellow music until the last long whisper that brings the dawn."

[Alysha DeShaé · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna loved the pictures, but wasn't too thrilled with the story. I, on the other hand, really enjoyed the story. :-)