Native Americans: A Visual Exploration

by S.N. Paleja, Kevin Loring (Introduction)

"A dynamic visual snapshot of North America's first peoples, from the prehistoric era to today."

Packed with exciting infographics that capture the history and culture of Native Americans in the U.S. and Canada, this compact and innovative approach decodes information simply and clearly. Using highly colorful, vibrant layouts including maps, pictographs, charts, and timelines, the book builds understanding with answers to questions such as: How did the first humans come to America? How did climate change affect the movement of Native peoples? What kinds of houses did they live in, and what were their societies like? What did they eat, and what tools and techniques did they use to obtain food? How did the arrival of European settlers affect Native American populations and cultures? How did Native Americans contribute to winning World War II? What are some issues Native Americans face today, and how have their innovations and achievements shaped the world?

Designed to quickly engage readers, the new series entitled The Big Picture begins with Native Americans: A Visual Exploration. It is an appealing, accessible entry point into a vast and multifaceted topic.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Native American, Middle Grade, Childrens

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 29, 2013

About the author

S.N. Paleja has appeared as an actor in film, television, and theater. This is his first book for children; he also recently completed an adult novel.

Reviews

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nonfiction trends in children's literature are oddities. For all that children make up such a large swath of the American population, relatively few people specialize solely in creating works of nonfiction for them in a variety of different, potentially pleasing, ways. That said, when you look at enough of it over the course of a given season, a pattern starts to emerge. And as of right now as I write this review in 2013 the hottest new trend in nonfiction works for the young is the incorporation of infographics into books that would otherwise be considered just a sneeze shy of textbooks in terms of interest. Suddenly topics that previously bored to tears are now awash in colors and funky forms. True, it's all still stats and facts, albeit made slightly more visually stimulating, but there's something to be said for that. What I didn't see coming was the application of this form to the topic of Native Americans. Probably one of the most popular topics a children's librarian faces on a regular basis, very little concrete, inoffensive, and contemporary information exists for children. S.N. Peleja seeks to change all that and the end result is a book that has its flaws but after much consideration may ultimately be the best thing out on the market today.

"Native American people are as different as the land they come from." So begins Kevin Loring, winner of the 2009 Canadian Governor General's Literary Award for Drama and a member of the Nlaka'Pamux First Nation in British Columbia. As he explains, the topic of this book is gigantic, so the author has touched on many basic aspects of Native American lives in order to inspire further reading. Using every graph, chart, word cloud, and statistic available, author/illustrator S.N. Paleja delves into Origins, Tribes and Society, Plants and Animals, Culture, Making Contact, and Modern Day topics chapter by chapter. We look at the wide variety of housing depending on climates and needs, place names we use today, the top languages as of 2012 (Navajo is king), sports, population shifts and much much more. In closing Paleja includes a Selected Bibliography of up-to-date sources, a section of Further Reading for young eyes, and an Index.

So here's the downside of infographics in books for kids: Kids don't care about infographics. Adults care about infographics. Show an adult (or even a teen ala The Fault in Our Stars) a Venn Diagram and watch as their pulse quickens. Now show that same image to a kiddo and to them it's a circle overlaid over another circle and . . . . yeah. That's what that is. Pleasure reading for the youngsters, this is not. That said, this isn't really meant to be a pleasure reading book anyway. It's a book of facts, presented in a visually stimulating format, ideal for homework assignments. The Index at the end will allow kids to latch onto specific tribes, terms, concepts, and historical moments as well. Few will be the reader that goes through the book start to finish.

Any time a children's librarian sees that a new book about Native Americans / American Indians is on the market the wariness factor starts to rise. Talk about difficult subject matter. On the one hand, librarians are inundated with requests from children, teachers, and parents for more books on specific Native tribes and histories because that's what the schools are demanding. It's an important piece of history. On the other hand, we have to be incredibly wary and cautious going forward of any new material on those subjects. Misinformation is rampant, as is the general feeling from these books that this is a race of people that died out long ago. So to counter all of this with, of all bizarre notions, a factual all-encompassing title utilizing infographics . . . well, it's at the very least worth a look.

To reassure gatekeepers like myself the book is prefaced by Kevin Loring, a member of the Nlaka'Pamux First Nation. In this introduction Loring specifies that this is just a snapshot of various aspects of Native American life. Then he discusses the term "Native American" in the first place and explains that there were many sources where this information was culled (indeed the Bibliography at the back is extensive for a book for 9-12 year-olds). In what might be considered a stretch by some, Loring then links the infographic style to the pictograph tradition of some tribes. Certainly I've seen that style of illustration used in books by Paul Goble and S.D. Nelson but here it just feels convenient, more than anything else.

As it stands, the biggest problem with the book is the very basis behind it. Infographics work best when you deal with generalities rather than specifics. And while Loring has confronted this problem head on, that doesn't necessarily mean it's not still an issue. You might argue, and argue well, that any book about any person using infographics is going to reduce those people into numbers. Native Americans, unfortunately, have had that very act done to them for centuries. Then there are the visuals. In the Plants and Animals chapter the rote Native Americans pictured there are meant to symbolize tribes like the Hopi, Navajo, and Cherokee, and so the image of the woman is just in a standard dress, not distinguished in any way. It's a tricky line to walk. The text is, for the most part, factual though there are moments that give one serious pause. It was a Kirkus review that pointed out that the hugely problematic sentence, "Generosity is an important aspect of Native American spirituality" is shockingly broad. Likewise, there might be some question as to the wisdom of using symbols like a bound hand to represent kidnapping when explaining various European crimes. It's good that this is acknowledged, but could be considered callous too. That said, there's something particularly satisfying about seeing Christopher Columbus held accountable for these crimes. Many biographies of the man conveniently forget that part.

Where the book shines brightest is when it gives an accounting of matters that are difficult to envision. Consider the old line that certain tribes would use "every part of the bison" in their everyday lives. How exactly does that work? Well, on the page "What can you make with a bison" the idea that you're dealing with a "walking department store" suddenly makes perfect sense. Before you is an image of a bison with labels indicating body parts and what they could be reconstituted into. There's the standard hide to blankets and bones to knives but then there's also some of the lesser known qualities like hooves to glue, blood to paint, and sinew to sewing thread. In other parts of the book there's also a satisfying account of when specific tribes came in contact with specific settlements from overseas. Everything from 1000 CE: Norse to the 1529 Spanish are distinctly specified and pointed out.

Another point in the book's favor is the fact that contemporary statistics play a large part. As I mentioned before, glance through an average children's library of Native American information and literature and you're going to come away fairly convinced that there aren't any tribes or people left. Name me three middle grade children's works of fiction about contemporary American Indians. Can't be done. So to see a kid's book continually mentioning everything from the 18% increase in business ownership by Native Americans between 2002-2007 (as opposed to 9% for white Americans) or the growth in population between 2000-2010 (27% in the U.S. and 45% in Canada) is unprecedented. As the book is Canadian originally, it takes care to show not just where they live in the States but in places like Ontario or the four Western provinces as well.

I don't think it's possible to make an infographic book of Native American statistics that is without its problems. The very nature of the idea itself is rife with difficulties, after all. Still, I look at other books that have covered the territory that Paleja has covered here, and I can't help but find them lacking. Either their scope is too small (just looking at The United States / a section of the country / a moment in history, etc.) or they bore the reader to tears. Paleja in turn gives us a book that generalizes even as it specifies. It's obviously not perfect, but it's the best we've seen in a very long time and for that reason alone I think it's notable. Worth looking at. Worth considering.

For ages 9 and up.

[Chinook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was way too advanced for Kait and Maddie - we looked at the pictures and I summarized some parts, but the person who actually read and appreciated it was me. It’s a great overview, especially some of the timelines and I think it’s a wise read before diving into non-fiction written for adults. I also really liked that a good portion of the book looked at Native Americans in modern times, like service levels during WWI and WWII and what life is like for Native Americans today.

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating book! I appreciated the visual history along with some written history. It didn't go into too much detail of the horrors of Indigenous history but it also didn't ignore it completely. Some quick, interesting facts about some historical aspects of Indigenous history throughout North America

[Moon Shine Art Spot ~ Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking for a good Native American book for an outing I had planned for my Cub Scout den to the site of an Indian village that would easily present information to my cubs and this was a great find.

The book description is:

A dynamic pictorial overview of North America’s first peoples.

There is no doubt that more and more, kids are becoming visual learners. That is why this innovative book uses infographics to tell the story of North America’s first peoples. Infographics are visual representations of information, data, or knowledge. They are very effective in presenting complex information quickly and clearly, as in charts, maps, pictographs, and timelines.

With very little text and simple, highly colorful illustrations, this book will help kids discover an astonishing amount of information about Native American history, culture, and society. From their migration from Asia many thousands of years ago to modern times, Native Americans explores such topics as housing, food, means of communication, types of government, and language.

Kids will find answers to such questions as: How did climate change affect the movement of Native peoples? How did Plains tribes use the bison as a “walking department store”? How many beaver pelts did northern tribes have to trade for an ax? What are their issues today? and many more.

Vibrant, dynamic, and packed with surprising facts and figures, Native Americans is an essential book for anyone interested in North America’s first people.

My thoughts:

This book was so easy to understand for my 7 year old because it uses the pictographs and other maps and visual information that he uses at school. The book has bright illustrations and graphs that include information on how the Native Americans lived and how they still do in an easy to understand format that makes looking at it more about understanding and less about reading a history book.

The book shows great representations that today's children can understand and relate to in telling the story of a culture that existed here, how they got here, where they went, how they lived, what they ate, wore, and where their ancestors are now and what the ancestors do today.

All of the information was so easy to understand in a new and exciting way that encourages further exploration.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thunder Boy Jr.

My rationale for selecting the book Thunder Boy Jr. was because my non-fiction text highlights various aspects of Native American culture and societal norms and traditions. Sherman Alexie’s writing is known to contain influences from various Native American cultures, not excluding Thunder Boy Jr. The book focuses primarily on the relationship between father and son and – in a way that is appropriate for a younger audience – draws attention to different Native American societal norms and parts of their culture.

The primary text structure throughout the non-fiction text Native Americans: A Visual Exploration is a description or list. The book includes details to help readers picture and get to know a person, place, thing, or idea. In this case, that includes various aspects of Native American life. There are also examples of Cause and Effect in the book, including a timeline of important events and a chapter titled “How did they get here?” that discusses how various Native American tribes ended up in different locations in North America. There are various text features present in the book including maps, graphs, diagrams, pictures, captions, an index, table of contents, various headings and subheadings, inset photos, and sidebars. The book reads like an informational text, so many of the text features are similar to a textbook.

The strategy application I would use that will engage students in critical thinking by making connections between the texts is Activating Prior Knowledge. After reading Thunder Boy Jr., students will be asked what details from the text they can connect to their own life experiences and how the events described in the book are related to their lives. This will (ideally) prompt students to start thinking about their own culture and societal norms and open a discussion about other cultures, leading them into the non-fiction text, Native Americans: A Visual Exploration. After reading, they can discuss what information about the world/another culture they learned from the text.

Alexie, S. (2016). Thunder Boy Jr. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

[Rebecca Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

I spent a few months reading about the Native Americans last fall, so Native Americans: A Visual Exploration by S.N. Paleja (Annick Press, 2013) caught my eye on Netgalley. As a brief visual overview to the subject, it was a nice book for young readers. In general, however, it provided too little to be an essential or intriguing read.

By using images, charts, and graphics, this book gives young readers a very active and attractive book. If my son were older, I would not have hesitated to hand it to him to get his thoughts. This truly is a visual generation. The book’s layout reminded me of those whiteboard infographic videos on YouTube where the information is present with a narrator and a hand drawing images on a white board. Each image leads right in to the next, and at the end, the camera zooms out to show the entire whiteboard of images.

In general, however, Native Americans: A Visual Exploration was simply too brief. I believe there is a place for visual learning, but there also is a place for information, and there simply was not much in this book. I say this fully realizing that I have read a lot about the Native Americans, and this is for youth who will not know as much as I do. There were generalities that bothered me, such as the chart which showed that all Native Americans arrived from Beringia (evidence suggests otherwise) and some of the pages had lots of cute illustrations but little information. I really liked some parts of it and I loved the chart of climate and homes since that goes along with my own homeschooling booklet I made.

So, in all, I really did like the visual exploration. It had cute graphics and interesting information. But it would not work as a stand-alone because there simply is not enough. At less than 50 pages, we can’t be too surprised about that.

[duchesskenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful for Expanding Multicultural Offerings in the Classroom Library

I was familiar with most of the information presented in the book, but there were some things that I had never heard of. For example, the class systems and the different inventions that Native Americans made such as sunscreen. Also, I ashamed to admit that I did not know Native Americans had lived in cities prior to European contact until I went to college. That is something children should be learning about instead of the whole Thanksgiving shtick.

In addition to the aforementioned Thanksgiving dinner, as a child, I was also exposed to such stereotypes as tipis, headdresses, and war whoops. This book does NOT romanticize Native Americans, which is the biggest reason why I would recommend it. The scalping warrior and the wise, peace pipe smoking chief are left out, and facts that portray early Native American societies as equal to other civilizations are the focus, whether good or bad.

This book is more of an introductory guide, relying on visuals to present the information. I think it would be more attractive to children, increasing the likelihood that they would read the book. I found the graphics to be distracting at times, but that's because I personally prefer to read black and white text.

The book is divided into sections with titles such as Who Are They Today and What Issues Do They Face? Overall, I believe that this book is a really good resource for children. I would definitely include it in a classroom library and/or include it within a lesson.

(review for NetGalley)

[Samantha Worthing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nonfiction/Twin Text Entry #2

This book is so great!! It has all kinds of information and statistics pertaining to Native Americans and their history and culture. There are lots of timelines, diagrams, and graphs to illustrate how Native Americans have lived in the past and continue to live in society today.

The fiction text I chose to pair with it is 'Written in Stone' by Rosanne Parry. This is a novel about a young girl in a Pacific Northwest Native American tribe in the 1920s that must deal with the death of her father and the loss of her tribe's traditions. Both books present the rich traditions of Native American culture and also the hardships that they have had to endure.

Both of these books would be better for intermediate grades, because of the advanced material and level of comprehension that would need to happen. The nonfiction text in particular has a lot of valid information and statistics that might be overwhelming to students under grade 3 or so.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley. The infographics are amazing and make this book be great supplement for well-developed non-fiction collections about Native Americans. However, smaller collections won't gain enough content from the sparse text. This would be most useful when combined with other resources.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graphically compelling, logically organized and factually engaging. I love this book! I am also please to see information pertaining to Native Americans today, rather than just contributing to the stereotype that Native Americans no longer exist. Would love to pair with "If I Ever Get Out of Here" and "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian".

ARC supplied by publisher via NetGalley

[Emily Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the way this book was laid out. It was graphic and interesting to look at. I thought the little blurbs of information would be very good for a student that isn't comfortable with reading a lot of text at one time. It's less intimidating than most history books and I appreciate that about it. Great for social studies!

[Rachel Birkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect for any class. It is a great resource for teachers who want to talk about Native Americans. With graphs, charts, and pictures students can see similarities and differences between tribes and understand much of our history. If students are researching housing they can lean about wigwams and tepees. I love the visual layout and the information which is included.

[Sue Poduska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dispassionate treatment of the overall subject presented in "infographics," affording an opportunity for further exploration.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cluttered graphics sabotage interesting text.