The story of Sequoyah is the tale of an ordinary man with an extraordinary ideas struggle to stand tall and proud.
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Feb 09, 2009
T. Denise
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I loved this book. This is a story of struggle, perserverance, and sustainment of a culture. Rumford pens the life of Sequoyah, a Cherokee man responsible for the creation of a syllabic alphabet for the Cherokee people that still exists today. Interestingly, Sequoyah's first attempt at creating an alphabet was ridiculed and rejected by the Cherokee people.(They even claim that he is possessed and burn his home), but Sequoyah responds by teaching his daughter to read. Soon, everyone is readin
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Oct 11, 2011
528_Kristin
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Opinion: This is a very interesting book. It again is a quick read and is written as a biography. The story is a very fast version of the history of Cherokee writing. I like it as in introductory piece, but I would have liked more details. He seemed to have lived a very interesting life. The book points out that we don’t often know the history of who created different alphabets, but this story gives that creation a voice. I liked the link between the trees and the life of the Cherokee. The actua
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Jul 12, 2010
S10_Abby
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Grade Level: 1-4
Award: The Robert E. Sibert Honor Book
This is a picture book describing the true story of a man, Sequoyah and how he invented the Cherokee written language. Sequoyah was born in the 1760s into the Cherokee tribe in Tennessee. Although he was crippled he was able to work as a metalworker, making things like forks and spoons. Later in his life, growing tired of his people not having a voice to combat the ever-present White Man’s voice, he put his mind to develo More...
Award: The Robert E. Sibert Honor Book
This is a picture book describing the true story of a man, Sequoyah and how he invented the Cherokee written language. Sequoyah was born in the 1760s into the Cherokee tribe in Tennessee. Although he was crippled he was able to work as a metalworker, making things like forks and spoons. Later in his life, growing tired of his people not having a voice to combat the ever-present White Man’s voice, he put his mind to develo More...
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Apr 30, 2010
Samantha
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Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing by James Rumford is a Sibert Honor Book for ages five to eight. Rumford tells the story of Sequoyah who developed a writing system that is used by the entire Cherokee nation. His writing system was turned into print in order to make books and newspaper, not just for writing letters and notes.
Rumford does not offer any citations about where he found his information or how he researched his book. The end of the book does offer a s More...
Rumford does not offer any citations about where he found his information or how he researched his book. The end of the book does offer a s More...
Sep 24, 2009
Laura
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Summary-
Sequoyah is a picture book for grades 1-3. It follows a man through his life and his attempts to make a written language for his verbal Cherokee language. It begins with a family on vacation in the 1950s talking about the giant Sequoyah trees. They wonder about the man who the big, strong trees were named after. Then the father of the family tells the story of Sequoyah. You learn that he was just an average metalworker that was crippled. Since he wanted his people to stand st More...
Sequoyah is a picture book for grades 1-3. It follows a man through his life and his attempts to make a written language for his verbal Cherokee language. It begins with a family on vacation in the 1950s talking about the giant Sequoyah trees. They wonder about the man who the big, strong trees were named after. Then the father of the family tells the story of Sequoyah. You learn that he was just an average metalworker that was crippled. Since he wanted his people to stand st More...
Oct 24, 2011
Crista
rated it: 
2005 Jane Adams Award Honor Book
This is an amazing bilingual story that tells the tale of how the written Cherokee language came to be that is in both English and said Cherokee. A family of unknown ethnicity visits the Redwoods in California in 1958. The dad begins to tell the story of how they got their name and why their namesake was so important. Sequoyah was an everyday person who didn’t want the voices of the Cherokee to fade away and blend into the white man’s world so he deci More...
This is an amazing bilingual story that tells the tale of how the written Cherokee language came to be that is in both English and said Cherokee. A family of unknown ethnicity visits the Redwoods in California in 1958. The dad begins to tell the story of how they got their name and why their namesake was so important. Sequoyah was an everyday person who didn’t want the voices of the Cherokee to fade away and blend into the white man’s world so he deci More...
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Mar 09, 2011
Esther
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Published in 2004 by Houghton Mifflin
Interest Level: 5th-8th Grade
This is a story about a man names Sequoyah who created a written language for the Cherokee people. This book is a bilingual book, which blew me away and there was an alphabet, explanation, and shot timeline at the end to explain the text and story in a deeper way. The illustrations were interesting but not distracting and the story was extremely interesting. I think that this true story is amazing and that many s More...
Interest Level: 5th-8th Grade
This is a story about a man names Sequoyah who created a written language for the Cherokee people. This book is a bilingual book, which blew me away and there was an alphabet, explanation, and shot timeline at the end to explain the text and story in a deeper way. The illustrations were interesting but not distracting and the story was extremely interesting. I think that this true story is amazing and that many s More...
Apr 21, 2009
Cindi
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I loved reading this story of Sequoyah with his humble beginnings but brilliant mind and how he understood that to preserve his people they needed written language. He spent a lot of time and was even ridiculed by his own people for what he was trying to do. In the end, he developed a syllabary (rather than characters to represent single sounds, they represent a syllable). The characters he developed were beautiful but a little too curvy and detailed for print type. Someone helped him simpli
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Jul 20, 2009
Abigail
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With simple text and gorgeous illustrations, this brilliant bilingual picture-book by James Rumford highlights the achievements of Sequoyah, the Cherokee metalworker who invented a syllabary for his people's language. Born some time in the 1760s, Sequoyah spent most of his life in obscurity, only beginning his work on a writing system when he was approaching fifty. Ridiculed, and sometimes even persecuted by the those who feared that his signs were evil, he nevertheless persisted, eventually cre
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Dec 04, 2010
Phuong
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This book is about Sequoyah the cheerokee Indian who invent writing for the cherokee indian. When he saw the englishment invade and suppress his people he understood the important of literacy. He does not want his people to lose their root therefore he invent writing for his people and teach his people to read. He made a major impact in the history of the cherokee Indian in Georgia. This book is good to teach children about the history of Georgia.
Nov 17, 2010
Lita
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This is a book about a famous Native American who created an alphabet so his people's language would never die. It's great for an integrated writing and social studies lesson because it teaches about a famous Native American and how he helped his people. It can also be used to have students write informational papers on Sequoyah and what he did to make him famous. It can be used to compare and contrast how Native Americans lived then and how we live now.
Nov 13, 2010
Mylinh
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Story of Sequoyah who invented a syllabary to allow the Cherokee people to read and write their own language. Very informative while still maintaining an interesting story line. Includes the Cherokee syllabary at the back and each page has the text written in English as well as Cherokee. A good book to teach about culture, the history of the Cherokee and writing.
Nov 10, 2010
Shira
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This book is a great way to integrate childrens literature into social studies. Because it is a standard in GA for second graders to learn about the Cherokee and Creek Native Americans, I believe this a good book to teach children about a specific Cherokee and his amazing contribution to his people.
Apr 26, 2010
Christie
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A story of the Cherokee man that invented a written language for his people. At first the man was viewed as crazy. Eventually his daughter began to read and the rest of the Cherokee people embraced the written language.
Mar 24, 2011
Tiffany
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Memorable quotes:
-Sometimes disaster happens for a reason. Sometimes it says: "Follow a different path."
-He was a brave man because he never gave up. He was a leader because he showed his people how to survive- How to stand tall and proud like these trees.
-Sometimes disaster happens for a reason. Sometimes it says: "Follow a different path."
-He was a brave man because he never gave up. He was a leader because he showed his people how to survive- How to stand tall and proud like these trees.
Feb 22, 2011
Lucia
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A great book when studying about Native American history and their contributions to the U.S. This book is also written in Cherokee! A good biography that I can see being used in 2nd grade social studies.
Nov 12, 2009
Jennifer
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Excellent biography of the great Cherokee man. This is a bilingual book-the text is also translated into Cherokee. Also a good read aloud for elementary classrooms.
Feb 24, 2010
Rachel
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about cherokee language. beautiful story that focuses on his story and the strength of the cherokee
Nov 26, 2008
Robyn
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A man named Sequoyah created a writing system for the Cherokee Indians. He knew no English, but he was able to slowly comprise a system to help the Cherokee Indians to communicate their speech onto paper.
Apr 04, 2008
Lisa
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This was a wonderful book and tells how Sequoyah actually faced opposition from his own people when he first began to try to make a written form of the Cherokee language. I like these biographies that are picture books.
Jun 18, 2011
Rebecca
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biography, not historical fiction, but still good example for students
Jan 27, 2012
Dec 08, 2011
Nov 20, 2011
