Enduring Wisdom: Sayings from Native Americans - Hardcover

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve spent her childhood on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation and now lives with her husband in Rapid City, South Dakota. She is the anthologist of the highly acclaimed poetry book, Dancing Teepees : Poems of American Indian Youth, illustrated by Stephen Gammell. The mother of three grown children, Ms. Sneve works as a high school counselor and teaches English at Oglala Lakota College, Rapid City Extension.

Synthia Saint Janes wrote and illustrated such fine books as Sunday, Girfriends, and The Gifts of Kwanzaa. She is also the illustrator of Neeny Coming, Neeny Going by Karen English, A Coretta Scott King Honor Book for Illustration; Hallelujah: A Christmas Celebration by W. Nikola-Lisa; and other books for children. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

Gr. 3-6. From Iroquois chief Kiosaaton in 1647 to contemporary Laguna Pueblo author Leslie Marmon Silko, this collection of brief, wise sayings from Indians of many nations speaks of enduring values, including respect for land and tradition and openness to other cultures: "Think like Indians, / be like Indians, / but learn English," says Miccosukee leader, Buffalo Tiger. Some individuals speak of their loss when "strangers came to the land." Sneve points out in her introduction that many sayings were in prayers, songs, speeches, or conversations, and they have been handed down orally through the generations. The picture-book design is open, with one or two quotes on a page, and Saint James' bright, handsome paintings in her signature, elemental collage celebrate the rich, diverse traditions as well as children today reading in school. The format is highly accessible, but many children will want to know more about the stories behind the quotes. Fortunately, brief bylines as well as useful endnotes provide snippets of context, history, and bibliography that open the way. Hazel Rochman
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