Nations of the Plains

Native Nations of North America

by Bobbie Kalman (editor and author)

The plains region is a vast landscape which was home to many native nations. For hundreds of years, these peoples followed the giant, wandering herds of buffalo upon which they were dependent for food, clothing, tools, and shelter. Clear, informative text, beautiful illustrations, and maps, help describe all aspects of the life of native nations who called the plains their home. Children will learn about: - cultural differences among nations from different regions of the plains - a discussion of the differences between sedentary and nomadic peoples - how the buffalo were hunted and used - different types of homes - the importance of family life - the arrival of the European settlers and how it affected the life of native peoples - the introduction of the horse and how it changed the way native people hunted and traveled Teacher's guide available.

Genres: Native American

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2001

About the author

Bobbie Kalman is a Hungarian-born children's author and publisher known for educational nonfiction books widely used in schools and libraries. After fleeing Hungary with her family during the 1956 Revolution, she later settled in North America. With backgrounds in English, psychology, and education, she wrote more than 800 books, including “Refugee Child” and several popular curriculum-based series.

Reviews

[Rebekah Guiliano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and helped the kids to understand that the Native Americans of the Plains Region was a very diverse group that occupied a very large portion of North America. Read it over the course of three days, and I think that it was good to break it up so that it didn't get overwhelming. Highly recommend for homeschooling.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and easy to read, as all books in this series the content is presented with illustrations, artwork and drawings of artifacts as well as a few photographs. The art in this book is a pleasant departure from the rest of the series, with only Life in a Plains Camp comparable, with highly realistic and beautiful illustrations on most pages. The art work is quite detailed, and often there are multiple drawings on each page, making it a more difficult book to use as a read aloud in a group setting.
Although there is a great deal of content it is broken down into bite sized, manageable piece, that even the most resistant student should be able to handle.
The content is appropriate for young readers, although at times it may be over sanitized giving the impression that it was an life was always easy, simple and peaceful.
Although there is a glossary, there is no pronunciation guide.

Contents:
The Great Plains
Families, bands, nations
Plains homes
Plains communication
Life before the horse
Depending on the buffalo
Horses on the plains
Northern plains nations
Central plains nations
The southern plains
Belonging to the land
Owning the land
Changes on the plains
End of a way of life
New ways, old ways