Many Nations: An Alphabet of Native America

by Joseph Bruchac

Illustrations and brief text present aspects of the lives of the many varied native peoples across North America

Genres: Picture Books, Native American, Indigenous, Cultural, Native Americans, Nonfiction, History

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Joseph Bruchac lives with his wife, Carol, in the Adirondack mountain foothills town of Greenfield Center, New York, in the same house where his maternal grandparents raised him. Much of his writing draws on that land and his Abenaki ancestry. Although his American Indian heritage is only one part of an ethnic background that includes Slovak and English blood, those Native roots are the ones by which he has been most nourished. He, his younger sister Margaret, and his two grown sons, James and Jesse, continue to work extensively in projects involving the preservation of Abenaki culture, language and traditional Native skills, including performing traditional and contemporary Abenaki music with the Dawnland Singers.

He holds a B.A. from Cornell University, an M.A. in Literature and Creative Writing from Syracuse and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the Union Institute of Ohio. His work as a educator includes eight years of directing a college program for Skidmore College inside a maximum security prison. With his wife, Carol, he is the founder and Co-Director of the Greenfield Review Literary Center and The Greenfield Review Press. He has edited a number of highly praised anthologies of contemporary poetry and fiction, including Songs from this Earth on Turtle's Back, Breaking Silence (winner of an American Book Award) and Returning the Gift. His poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from American Poetry Review, Cricket and Aboriginal Voices to National Geographic, Parabola and Smithsonian Magazine. He has authored more than 70 books for adults and children, including The First Strawberries, Keepers of the Earth (co-authored with Michael Caduto), Tell Me a Tale, When the Chenoo Howls (co-authored with his son, James), his autobiography Bowman's Store and such novels as Dawn Land, The Waters Between, Arrow Over the Door and The Heart of a Chief. Forthcoming titles include Squanto's Journey (Harcourt), a picture book, Sacajawea (Harcourt), an historical novel, Crazy Horse's Vision (Lee & Low), a picture book, and Pushing Up The Sky (Dial), a collection of plays for children. His honors include a Rockefeller Humanities fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Writing Fellowship for Poetry, the Cherokee Nation Prose Award, the Knickerbocker Award, the Hope S. Dean Award for Notable Achievement in Children's Literature and both the 1998 Writer of the Year Award and the 1998 Storyteller of the Year Award from the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas.

As a professional teller of the traditional tales of the Adirondacks and the Native peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Joe Bruchac has performed widely in Europe and throughout the United States from Florida to Hawaii and has been featured at such events as the British Storytelling Festival and the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee. He has been a storyteller-in-residence for Native American organizations and schools throughout the continent, including the Institute of Alaska Native Arts and the Onondaga Nation School. He discusses Native culture and his books and does storytelling programs at dozens of elementary and secondary schools each year as a visiting author.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frankly for me, it is the glorious illustrations that make Joseph Bruchac's Many Nations (they are expressively detailed, realistically descriptive and also feature a wonderful and intense sense of colour). The text itself is indeed adequate enough, but I truly and with a sense of a bit of disappointment think much more could have been made of it (perhaps a bit of a rhyme, and definitely more detail, more presented information).

And I guess I was also expecting a bit more narrative wise from Joseph Bruchac (but I do realise that Many Nations seems to be one of his earlier picture books, so perhaps I am indeed being a bit overly demanding here). However I cannot deny that while enjoyable and informative, Many Nations really does leave me asking for more and almost desperately wanting more (and will probably also leave children asking for more, especially older children with an interest in Native America and Native American culture). And last, but definitely not least, I also truly wish that Bruchc had included a pronunciation key, as I have no idea how to pronounce the Native American expressions and tribal affiliations presented and would rather learn how to pronounce them correctly or at least as correctly as possible (so yes, supplemental materials, as well as suggestions for further reading would have added much to the teaching and learning potential of Many Nations, which as it stands now, is definitely adequate as a basic and informative alphabet book of Native America, but also not yet outstanding, not yet an effort that says "wow" in any manner).

[Londa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are superb! Loved the colors and the warmth on every page. The text was sparse but effective. I almost graded it down a star for lack of text until I realized that every page sparked a discussion about what was going on in the pictures. Discussions about buffaloes, canoes, the design of the homes... almost every page could be used as a topic starter. It was wonderful that Bruchac included groups that are not as well known as others.

My biggest gripe is that there was no pronunciation key for this book. I would have really liked to have a handy guide to help me with some of the more difficult names.

Overall, Great book!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Employing an alphabet format, the renowned author (of Abenaki Indian descent) introduces children to the vast array of Native American peoples found throughout North America. Although each page/ alphabet letter only has one sentence, the author has chosen his words very precisely to give us a glimpse into the life of that group of people. The beautifully painted illustrations that accompany each concept/ sentence help us to more fully understand the words of the author. I really like the author’s note at the end in which he more fully explains that one of the purposes of this book was “to help children recognize the diversity of Native Americans.” He goes on to tell a little more about this diversity noting regions and the groups of people found within these regions.

This book would be a wonderful addition to any classroom library and has potential to be used with many different grade levels. It could be used by itself or serve as a starting point for a greater study of Native Americans.

[K.L. Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Native American culture is very diverse. More than four hundred varied tribes were on this land before Columbus. Young readers will go through the alphabet one tribe at a time and learn about tribal traditions.

“Goshute trackers moving like the bear.”
The illustrations showing a man dancing in a bear skin alongside an image of a brown bear.

“Otoe fathers teaching sons how to walk with care.”
The illustration show a father helping a son cross a stream on a log.

Vivid illustrations depict the Native American cultural as they thrive in their natural environment. Parents and teachers can utilize this guide as a way of teaching the alphabet, traditions and how these peoples lived then and now.

[Miss Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely artwork. Wonderful way of introducing Native American culture without focusing on thanksgiving or otherwise marginalizing the cultures and people.

I like that it touches on multiple Peoples.

The only thing that gives me pause is that there are only 4 spreads (counting purely from my opinion) that could appear to show people in modern times. One of my fears with Native American books is how materials so often put them firmly in the past as if they are no more. Especially in books for children. It would have been nice to have a few of these 26 images more firmly rooted in the present day.

[Lin Lin]

I would recommend this book to kindergarteners up to 4th graders even though it is just an alphabet book. Among the hundreds of native American tribes, Joseph Bruchac, the Abenaki storyteller and author, selects and portrays the diverse cultures of twenty-six Native American communities. Hopefully children will learn about the indigenous people as they were in the past and as they are today with fewer stereotypes.

[Tori Davenport]

This book would be great for teaching very small children a few different types of Native Americans. THe pictures are painted beautifully, and the text is short and easily understood for small readers, and those who english is not their first language. It would be a great way to start talking about ancestry, if the kids know they have native american blood in them. This could be read before thanksgiving so the children can learn about who was here before the settlers came.

[Hanne Heimonen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shows how alphabet books are not just about learning the alphabet. This book ties information of native american skillfully to alphabets. Teachers can connect this easily with history and cultural awareness. The illustration is gorgeous and the book works perfectly with older children as well as younger.

[booklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

My children were past needing an alphabet book when I bought this, so I suppose it was really for me--I just love the illustrations! Treat yourself to it!

[Robin Bock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book uses the alphabet to present many different groups of Native American cultures and how different they are. This book dispels the idea that Native Americans are a monolith and manage to present that idea to children so they don't develop misconceptions in that regard. There is basic information presented about each culture, such as traditions and clothing of the culture. It is illustrated beautifully and the pictures add to the educational value of the information presented.

I would give this book 5 stars because it is a unique way to represent the diversity within Native American cultures to children. I also think that it would inspire children to seek out more information about different cultures. I like giving books to students that encourage further research and questions.

[Ali Book&Seaglasshunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful introduction to Indigenous groups across the continent. The simple text set with the detailed illustrations allows for plenty of room for observations, thoughts, and conversations to take place. This is definitely a great launching off point if you’d like to begin to study more Native cultures and heritage. There’s a small allusion to Native culture today but most of the pages feature illustrations of people/activities that appear to be from the past. This would be my only complaint, that a child could walk away from reading this book and not realize that Native people and ways of life are still here today.

[Paul Hankins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bruchac is a trusted author responsibly presenting First Nations characters and subjects. This is one of two collaborations listed by Scholastic with illustrator Robert F. Goetzl.

The author's note reflects that this is a small representation of the hundreds of nations that might be presented within a book. The focus here is to create a cross section of the "four directions" in the presentation of the ABC order.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's nice to find a book in the library that brings so many things to so many people. One commented that she learned of nations she'd never heard of before. One commented that "they were soooo pretty!" - meaning the illustrations. One just shook her head and said, "hm, hm, hm." I understand that to be an expression of appreciation. This A-Z picture book isn't just for children. Big thumbs up for this work.

[Jessica Lewers]

Many Nations does a great job of explaining aspects of the lives of Native Americans from different tribes. The book goes through all the letters of the alphabet and connects each letter to a word related to the Indians. All of the illustrations present the fascinating ways of the Native American lifestyle.

Grade: 1-3
Lexile Level: AD580L

[Kaitlyn Papp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Informational
Grade: 2-3
This book is great for learning about Native Americans and their culture, as well as walking through the alphabet. Some of the words and concepts may be hard to understand if there isn't an adult around to explain things to the young reader. I wish there was a little more description in the writing, but the illustrations do help with understanding.

[Jc · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was introduced to a few new tribes in this book.

[Maria Freeman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, but would be better with a map showing where each nation is

[Meghan Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are incredible. This book is very USA-centric and it's discouraging that so many of the Indigenous People of Canada were left out.

[Keidra Polite · Rating 5 out of 5]

It goes through the alphabet and each letter describes a Native American tradition. It is a good book to use to teach about Native Americans and history. It could also be used as a tool to build activities and projects off of.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book. The illustrations are beautiful, and it serves as a great reminder that there are many nations. We mustn't lump together all Native Americas (I usually use "American Indian", but when I did so in a classroom, those of Eastern/Asian Indian descent identified that way).

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you dressed up as a stereotypical Indian for Halloween this year and saw no problems-- reading this book is for you.

This book is SUCH a great start to recognizing the variety within native cultures. More knowledge.

[K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read to use to introduce to Native Americans.

[Paula Hollohan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entry into North American Native People with a single letter but a rich illustration.

[LeAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book teaching 23 cultures. A map locating tribes would have been useful.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Simple alphabet book about Native Americans! I liked the authors note at the end...very informative! Loved the pictures...good one to pick up and read

[Moop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great example of the many Native American tribes that came prior to Christopher Columbus

[RJ Meehan]

Grades 1-3
Level 580L
This book goes through the alphabet and says things about Native Americans for each letter.

[Danielle Wynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book shows so much diversity in the Native American culture.
Culture & Diversity

[Eden Silverfox · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an alphabet of some Native American tribes. It is a nice book with beautiful illustrations.