North American Indians

by Douglas W. Gorsline

Illus. in full color. Describes more than a dozen American Indian tribes. "Agood introduction to a topic that always seems to fascinatechildren."— School Library Journal.

Genres: History, American History, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, Native American, Native Americans

Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[Margaret Chind · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kids squeal, "Oh, its Richard Scarry!" at first glance because they saw the classic read-to-me rabbits from Random House pictureback books. Amusing for the recognition, but then I explained the pictureback series of books so common from my childhood.

This book had been really interesting and filled with details with what appears to be color pencil illustrations. All of the children 2-10 were interested. I do not, personally, have a vast knowledge of the Indians of North America, therefore. I cannot comment on the veracity of this little 8x8 reader pictureback paperback picture book, but for our purposes it was full of details and information, along with illustrations to bring the details to life. Fits in perfectly with our reads. We will be pulling out some Tomie dePaola legends next.

We own this book as recommended for BookShark Level 3, Introduction to American History.

[Hungry For Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 1977, any book that is about this topic makes me wonder if it is respectful and accurate about the peoples it is about. This non-fiction book offers basic facts and introduces terms such as "wigwams" and "chickees" and discusses several different tribes. I cannot claim to its representation of Native Americans. The images are very detailed.

[Sydney Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative.

[Ryann Norris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: informational nonfiction
Grade:2-3
This book has a lot of good information and beautiful illustrations. I like how the words use the pictures to help describe the different tribes. I do think this book would be a boring read for young readers but may be a good option for a read aloud when learning about Native Americans.

[Maggie Cook]

Title: North American Indians

Author: Marie and Douglas Gorsline

Illustrator: Marie and Douglas Gorsline

Type of Book (format and literary genre): Picture book/ Non-Fiction

Awards the book has received (national): None

Short original summary of the main plot, describe the content and themes of the book: This gives the history of how Native Americans came to live in North America and how they lived; what their lives were like. The book tells how the Native Americans hunted and fished for food and used beads and jewelry as a currency to trade for goods. The book also talks about the different areas that each Native American tribe lived in and what kinds of homes they made to live in each of these areas. Native Americans had to adapt their life styles to the area and climate that they lived in. Some had to make snow shoes for the heavy winter snows and others had to build houses out of mud.

Critique the book backed by one reason: I like this book because it introduces a lot of vocabulary from the Native American languages but does so in a way that children will be able to understand. Each word is given in the story with the English word and a description. There are also pictures following each word to help give readers a visual.

Prompts or questions you could pose when reading the book aloud to children:
1. Name the Native American tribes discussed in this book and give two or three details about each tribe.
2. How was life in one tribe different from all the others?
3. What are some things that all the Native American tribes have in common?
4. Where did the Native American tribes originally come from?
5. How/ where do we see the influence of Native American’s in today’s society?

Craft elements of the book that could be addressed in a reading or writing lesson: I would have the students do a kind of comparison chart. I would have a column for each Native American tribe then have a row for food, houses, clothing, etc. The students would fill in each of these boxes for each tribe as we read through the story.

[Lydia Goddard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a good introduction to North American Indian tribes and how they lived.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this picture book aloud to my children. The illustrations are nice and colourful, and the book provides a good overview (without overwhelming young listeners) of various North American Indian tribes. I found the content interesting and age appropriate, and it is a good addition to our studies concerning Native Nations!

I also remember reading this book when I was a child, and I loved it then as much as I do now!

MY RATING: 5 stars! I loved it!! Highly recommended!

[Emily Ackmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book describes over a dozen different North American Indian tribes and talks about the different kinds of houses they lived in, the food they ate, and the daily activities they participated in. I like that it shows different Indian groups and doesn't group them all into one or generalize. I think it would be a good book.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great introductory book for young children. It gives the basics of Native Americans living in North America. The pictures are great in showing some of the basics of their lifestyle and culture. We loved this book as part of our homeschool learning.

[Danielle Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides readers with information about the different Native American tribes. I believe this book is important to read to children because oftentimes Native Americans are taught as a single group. This book shows children the differences of each tribe

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a clear yet basic review of several Indian tribes; houses, lifestyle, food, and a few things that made them different from other tribes. The illustrations are interesting although a bit fuzzy. It's perfect for grades K through 3.

[Kevin Hull · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simplistic but enjoyable illustrated overview of different Native American tribes. A good intro to native culture for very young readers. The way it whitewashes the European crimes committed against them is a bit disconcerting for us older folk.

[Caristy Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction into some of the different tribes of Native American Indians, a great introduction for kids and adults. The ability to learn about different cultures and their history is so important. My son really enjoyed this book.

[Cws]

AI J970

[Fiona Endsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one when I was a little kid.

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE the illustrations in this book! They are very detailed! I shared this today with my preschoolers for our Indian theme, and they loved looking at the pictures!

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this fascinating as a child. Now I wonder what I would think as an adult.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this with the kids this week as part of our History/Geography lessons. They didn't enjoy it as much as our other read aloud, Squanto. It was difficult to pronounce some of the Indian names!

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tons of information in a small amount of pages. Great jumping off point for families trying to teach their children about our indians.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a childrens' book it is appropriate for all ages. A great overview of the different native American groups, and how each area was unique. Excellent illustrations.

[Breanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good intro for kids to the various Indian tribes in the different regions of North America. It was informative without being daunting and had great illustrations.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Small book about Native American tribes. Nice artwork.

[Julia Reffner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sonlight Core D Read aloud--we all enjoyed this quick read that gives an overview of Native American tribes.

[Austin Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Educational for children. uses terminology and beautiful paintings to humanize Native Americans. 100% skips the Genocide, which should have been addressed.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple introduction to the Native American tribes of North America with a map of their areas and a page spread about each different tribe.