This Land Is My Land

by George Littlechild

Through his own words and paintings, acclaimed Native artist George Littlechild takes us back in time to the first meeting between his Plains Cree ancestors and the first European settlers in North America. In This Land Is My Land, George intimately and honestly shares with readers how he discovered his Native heritage and what it means to him. He recounts the history of his people and expresses his wish to use his art to portray the wonders of his heritage, and to heal the pain of his people's history.

Genres: Picture Books, Indigenous, Memoir, Art, Native American, American History, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1993

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plains Cree artist and illustrator George Littlechild presents seventeen striking paintings in this tall picture-book, each one accompanied by a reminiscence from his personal or familial life, or from the historical experiences of his people, and the native peoples of North America. His reflections address such things as the beauty of the buffalo, the importance of his ancestors, the pain of urban native people, the trauma of residential school, and historical incidents such as the Battle of the Little Big Horn and Columbus' first landing in the western hemisphere...

I sought out This Land Is My Land after reading and enjoying Richard Van Camp's picture-books, A Man Called Raven and What's the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses? , both illustrated by George Littlechild, and wanting to see more of the artist's work. Vibrantly colorful, powerfully composed, these paintings are engrossing, drawing and keeping the attention of the reader. I appreciated the explanations offered, in each reminiscence, for the symbolism in the accompanying illustration, and I valued the insight into the Native American/First Nations experience that the book offered as a whole. The only discordant note for me, was the titular "This Land Is My Land" spread, which is a response to Woodie Guthrie's famous song, This Land Is Your Land. Here, I think Littlechild gets it wrong, arguing that the song is about ownership, when I think it is just the opposite: it's about the country belonging to everyone, rather than to individuals. Leaving that one issue aside, I enjoyed this book wholeheartedly, although I'm not sure to whom I would recommend it. It's rather text heavy, and it is not a story, so much as a series of anecdotes and reflections, so many younger children may find it less than appealing. Perhaps older picture-book audiences, looking for Native American/First Nations content would find it interesting.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compilation of art and the artist's explanations of what he was thinking and feeling while he was creating, as well as what he was trying to portray. This would be very educational when teaching about art interpretation, as well as indigenous people in the world today, as Littlechild is a member of the Plain Cree Nation.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is catalogued as a biography in my library system.
I'm tagging it as a memoir.

It doesn't just tell about George Littlechild, but
also individuals who preceded and affected him (I'm not including all)
grandmothers, parents, grandfathers, the Sioux Warriors, and sadly, Columbus.

As a picture book, this isn't dense in text or events, but it is hugely poignant and thought provoking.

Littlechild's art is colorful, childlike and possibly primitive,
but full of message and meaning and heart.

The approach of this biography might be a good biography prompt - for-founders are part of what makes you you.

[Liz Bahati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Materials for Children Reading Project

Age Range:
9 to 12

Evaluation - Literary Elements & Artistic Merit:
Lyrical prose combined with mixed media illustrations make for an informative and evocative personal history.

Assessment - Potential Use:
This book could be used in a classroom setting to discuss the impacts of colonialism on the Native Americans.

Assessment - Appeal:
The colorful illustration and photographs of the author's family draw the reader in to want to hear more of the history of the author and his people.

[solana · Rating 3 out of 5]

actual rating : 3,5

[Elizabeth]

The technique of the artist/author explain each (multi-media) image reminded me of Going Back Home: An Artist Returns to the South . It's clearly for older kids, but I'm not sure how engaging it would be. The explanatory texts are fairly brief, but it's also not exactly the sort of thing one would read through in a single siting. He talks about aspects of history like the boarding schools for Native Americans, so I might want to brush up on my knowledge of that before giving this book to a child, so as to be better able to field their questions -- though of course one can always model "I don't know, that's a good question, let's do some research" :)

[NS-Christine Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Welcome to the world of George Littlechild, the Native American artist. View Littlechild's unique art and read about his life experiences. In "Horse Dance," Littlechild expresses the great love and respect his grandfather had for horses, and also the great love and respect the horses had for him. In the piece, "This Land is My Land," he responds to the song he had been taught in school as a child. He found it strange to sing about the ownership of land, and explains that the first people on the land were the Indians. They prefer to be called First Nations or First Peoples because they were the first to call these lands home.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I definitely appreciated the artist's sharing of his thoughts and feelings and explanations of his art. It helped me see what I may have missed without his help. The book left me very pensive and reminded me to continue to struggle not hold on to the injustices of the past so tightly that I cannot enjoy the present or work to make the future better.

The art is brightly colored and stylized and there is a lot of text. The sadness that permeates the text may be difficult for sensitive children.

[Samary Morales · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book. The texts, which narrate each painting, is very useful for showing the integration of memoir and art in the classroom. Elementary grades teachers should know that he is very open and honest. He uses the words prostitution and alcoholism, when he discusses the plight of urban Indian issues and family matters. But children would be amazed by the part!

[Maggie Gilmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

George LittleChild draws pictures of something significant to his Native American history. He goes from the past such as Christopher Columbus to now with Pow-Wow's. Each picture he discusses his hertiage. This book can be for children in grades 3-5 but only use excerpts if using it as a read-aloud since it will be long and draining.

[Jeani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful paintings and real stories that should be part of every child's education on the First Nations of the Plains.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.