Children of the Tipi: Life in the Buffalo Days
Edited By Michael Oren Fitzgerald
A book of photos and quotes, the superb layout allows you to sneak into the camp with the Native American’s shown. We see mothers and babies, women working on beading, children playing with dolls and small bow and arrows. Children will be rightly fascinated by children of another era and another culture — children who had to learn to hunt and fish, and yet played with familiar toys of dolls and balls.
With each double-page spread divided into natural categories of mothers, fathers, children at play, etc., the writing comes from interviews with members of many different tribes. Some of these quotes are broad and philosophic “When you see a new trail you do not know, follow it to the point of knowing.” Others are specific recollections, paired with a photo of the toy in question, in this case a buffalo-rib snow sled: “In the summer we played lacrosse. In the winter we coasted upon the ribs of animals and buffalo robes.”
These are snippets from many individuals in many tribes about many different topics and Fitzgerald points out that the individual talking represents only him or herself. Students might need to be reminded to be careful about generalization from one quote, but this is a minor quibble for a powerful and charming book.
Since most of the power comes from the pictures, the book is appropriate for pre-kindergarten, kindergarteners, and first graders. Second and third graders can probably read it for themselves. It is also a lovely book for fourth grade and above to page through and read, especially when students study their home state and learn about local Native Americans.
Title: Children of the Tipi: Life in Buffalo Days- Edited By Michael Oren Fitzgerald
- Publisher: Wisdom Tales
- Reviewer: Amy S. Hansen
- Paperback/hardcover/ebook: 42 pages
- ISBN:978-1-937786-09-0
- Genre: nonfiction (history, science, nature, environmental, math, etc.), fiction (historical, fantasy, mystery, etc.)
- Lexile Score: 680
