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Muskrat Will Be Swimming
A heart-warming tale of the lesson a girl learns from a Seneca creation story told to her by her grandfather--a lesson of knowing who you are and staying strong in the face of hurtful criticism. Elegantly illustrated, Muskrat Will Be Swimming is a treasure for all who have dealt with the fear of being different.
Full color.
Full color.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1996
90 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 21, 2011
The cover illustration immediately drew me in. And then I dove in as deep as deep can be. I was near tears throughout my read of this book; in this way it reminds me of books by Patricia Polacco.
This story about a young Native American girl who feels badly because kids at school call her a lake rat because of who she is and where she lives is a terrific story for and about kids who feel bullied or who bully, kids who feel different, kids who are poor, anyone looking for a stellar grandparent-grandchild book, kids who love nature, who love storytelling and stories, and all readers/listeners.
The illustrations are luminous and touching and magical. I loved them all.
This book is fabulous! It gets a very full 5 stars from me. It’s worth taking a lot of time to savor the pictures, the story within the story, and the story itself.
The author’s and illustrator’s notes on the back inside cover are also lovely, and make clear that this is really a historical fiction story/thinly veiled biographical work as it is definitely based on the author’s childhood experiences.
I believe that every school/classroom and library and home with children would benefit by having this book. It’s terrific for independent readers and for reading aloud one to one and to groups of children. I can see it sparking much discussion. But, it’s a special book for individual readers of all ages, even if they just mull on it on their own, or even if they simply enjoy it. It’s wonderful!
The sources for the story are given and I appreciated that and found the information fascinating.
This story about a young Native American girl who feels badly because kids at school call her a lake rat because of who she is and where she lives is a terrific story for and about kids who feel bullied or who bully, kids who feel different, kids who are poor, anyone looking for a stellar grandparent-grandchild book, kids who love nature, who love storytelling and stories, and all readers/listeners.
The illustrations are luminous and touching and magical. I loved them all.
This book is fabulous! It gets a very full 5 stars from me. It’s worth taking a lot of time to savor the pictures, the story within the story, and the story itself.
The author’s and illustrator’s notes on the back inside cover are also lovely, and make clear that this is really a historical fiction story/thinly veiled biographical work as it is definitely based on the author’s childhood experiences.
I believe that every school/classroom and library and home with children would benefit by having this book. It’s terrific for independent readers and for reading aloud one to one and to groups of children. I can see it sparking much discussion. But, it’s a special book for individual readers of all ages, even if they just mull on it on their own, or even if they simply enjoy it. It’s wonderful!
The sources for the story are given and I appreciated that and found the information fascinating.
March 1, 2010
Beautiful, culturally sensitive, illustrations bring to life this gentle story of a part Indian, part French (French Canadian, I suspect) girl who is bullied for being different. When she is called a "Lake Rat" by her classmates, Grampa tells her the Creation story of Muskrat, who bravely brought up a pawful of earth from beneath the lake and put it on Turtle's back to give Skywoman, fallen from the heavens, a place to stand. When Jeannie herself leaps into the lake to try to duplicate Muskrat's feat, she relates to the story in a way which now shapes her concept of herself. There is an author's note on the story, which is based on a Seneca tale told by Joseph Bruchac, and on the wildlife pictured in the book. This is a very special book.
The author is herself part Abenaki and part French. The illustrator, Robert Hines, has illustrated books for the National Geographic Society.
Awards: Notable Books for Children, _Smithsonian Magazine_; Skipping Stones Book Award for Exceptional Multicultural and Nature/Ecology Books; and Wordcraft Circle Writer of the Year.
The author is herself part Abenaki and part French. The illustrator, Robert Hines, has illustrated books for the National Geographic Society.
Awards: Notable Books for Children, _Smithsonian Magazine_; Skipping Stones Book Award for Exceptional Multicultural and Nature/Ecology Books; and Wordcraft Circle Writer of the Year.
February 29, 2020
A young girl of mixed French and Abenaki heritage loves her home and community on the edge of a lake in this lovely picture-book from Cheryl Savageau - an author who is also of French and Abenaki descent, and who grew up in similar circumstances - but is discouraged at the ridicule she endures at the hands of her classmates. Jeannie, the young narrator of Muskrat Will Be Swimming, enjoys her early morning walks by the lake, and the glimpses that they offer her of the animal world around her. Her home - one of the "cellar holes, trailers, and old winterized cottages left behind from the days that the lake was a vacation spot for the wealthy - may be poor, but it is happy. But although she tries to explain the beauty and joy of her home to her peers, they refuse to listen, seeing her only as a "Lake Rat." It is Jeannie's grandfather, who reminds her of the muskrat's important role in the (Iroquois) creation story, that takes the sting out of this name...
Published by one of my favorite smaller presses, Maine-based Tilbury House, Muskrat Will Be Swimming is a book I have long wanted to read. I was able to convince my public library to order some copies recently, as none of the county branches had any on the shelves, and it finally came in! As I expected, the story is both moving and thought-provoking. It demonstrates, in a fairly gentle way, that sometimes bullying doesn't get addressed at school, and that children have to find coping mechanisms in order to deal with it. It also emphasizes the importance of family, community and cultural traditions, in building up a young person's strength and sense of self-worth. I loved Grandpa's comment about the nature of insults that compare people to animals - "Some people do that - when they want to make you feel bad, they compare you to an animal. We don't think that way. We know the animals are our relatives. We can learn a lot from them" - as it highlights the fact that such bullies aren't just doing wrong, but are thinking wrong. This is an important idea to communicate, I think, both to children who have been bullied, and to those who bully.
Just as Savageau's narrative is poignantly compelling, so too are Robert Hynes' illustrations, which have a lovely soft quality to them that is very appealing. All in all, this is a book I'd recommend to young readers who have been bullied, either for being poor, or for being different in some other way, and to anyone interested in stories featuring contemporary Native American children.
Published by one of my favorite smaller presses, Maine-based Tilbury House, Muskrat Will Be Swimming is a book I have long wanted to read. I was able to convince my public library to order some copies recently, as none of the county branches had any on the shelves, and it finally came in! As I expected, the story is both moving and thought-provoking. It demonstrates, in a fairly gentle way, that sometimes bullying doesn't get addressed at school, and that children have to find coping mechanisms in order to deal with it. It also emphasizes the importance of family, community and cultural traditions, in building up a young person's strength and sense of self-worth. I loved Grandpa's comment about the nature of insults that compare people to animals - "Some people do that - when they want to make you feel bad, they compare you to an animal. We don't think that way. We know the animals are our relatives. We can learn a lot from them" - as it highlights the fact that such bullies aren't just doing wrong, but are thinking wrong. This is an important idea to communicate, I think, both to children who have been bullied, and to those who bully.
Just as Savageau's narrative is poignantly compelling, so too are Robert Hynes' illustrations, which have a lovely soft quality to them that is very appealing. All in all, this is a book I'd recommend to young readers who have been bullied, either for being poor, or for being different in some other way, and to anyone interested in stories featuring contemporary Native American children.
December 16, 2018
A young girl of French and Native American descent is called a “lake rat” by her classmates because she lives in a poor lakeside community. Her grandfather helps her take pride not only in this name, but in her identity as well through sharing an old folktale in which the muskrat plays a crucial role in the creation of land.
Reading Level: R
Genre: Traditional Literature/ Contemporary Realistic Fiction. Overall, I would describe this book as contemporary realistic fiction since the plot and characters are realistic, it is set in the present, and it deals with common issues for children such as race, poverty, and personal identity. However, I find one of the book’s greatest strengths is the embedded legend, a sub-genre of traditional literature. Rather than telling the legend in isolation, Muskrat Will Be Swimming provides context for sharing the legend, allowing us to see how it might be used in their culture and how it builds cultural pride.
Writing Mentor Trait:
Word Choice: The author’s choice of words creates a stark contrast between the girl’s feelings about the lake and her classmates’ conflicting opinions. The words used to describe what life is like by the lake seem to paint a romanticised picture of what is seemingly an unappealing environment. Students could use this as a mentor text to explore how word choice can influence how the reader feels about or visualizes something. For example, moving might be fun and exciting to some, but it could also be sad or scary for others; the author needs to use precise language to accurately convey how the characters might feel about moving. .
Other Uses: This book would work well in a unit on Native American culture, legends and folktales, or in a discussion on bullying.
Reading Level: R
Genre: Traditional Literature/ Contemporary Realistic Fiction. Overall, I would describe this book as contemporary realistic fiction since the plot and characters are realistic, it is set in the present, and it deals with common issues for children such as race, poverty, and personal identity. However, I find one of the book’s greatest strengths is the embedded legend, a sub-genre of traditional literature. Rather than telling the legend in isolation, Muskrat Will Be Swimming provides context for sharing the legend, allowing us to see how it might be used in their culture and how it builds cultural pride.
Writing Mentor Trait:
Word Choice: The author’s choice of words creates a stark contrast between the girl’s feelings about the lake and her classmates’ conflicting opinions. The words used to describe what life is like by the lake seem to paint a romanticised picture of what is seemingly an unappealing environment. Students could use this as a mentor text to explore how word choice can influence how the reader feels about or visualizes something. For example, moving might be fun and exciting to some, but it could also be sad or scary for others; the author needs to use precise language to accurately convey how the characters might feel about moving. .
Other Uses: This book would work well in a unit on Native American culture, legends and folktales, or in a discussion on bullying.
January 27, 2021
I almost passed on reading this one only because I usually tend to read picture books with far less words, but I am SO SO SO happy I decided to read this one! Not only is the writing excellent, but it is refreshing to read a story about a young Native American girl from an author who is also Native American. Having lived in Hawaii and Southern California all of my life, I am unfamiliar with the Northeast and know less about the native people groups, cultures and stories from that part of the U.S. I learned a lot from this little picture book. And I appreciate the way the author handled a difficult subject matter through Grampa's listening ear and gentle way of teaching Jeannie through storytelling. An important story to be told, indeed!
July 1, 2020
Class and race and bullying at the start.
Town kids call the poorer indigenous kids Lake Rats but the main character realizes (with help from Grandpa and his stories) that makes her like muskrat - the hero of an Iroquois legend.
Beautiful illustrations throughout. A little too long for our current story times but might be a great share in elementary class especially when talking about identity.
Author is indigenous, end notes give context to where the legends originate.
Town kids call the poorer indigenous kids Lake Rats but the main character realizes (with help from Grandpa and his stories) that makes her like muskrat - the hero of an Iroquois legend.
Beautiful illustrations throughout. A little too long for our current story times but might be a great share in elementary class especially when talking about identity.
Author is indigenous, end notes give context to where the legends originate.
November 10, 2022
A little long, a little didactic, but lovely, engaging, and important. The author is French and Abenaki, and the illustrator makes it clear that 'Indians' don't necessarily look like their stereotypes. The story does seem likely to be effective at helping kids, Indian or not, pay attention to their heritage and their blessings.
There are notes in the back, and link for more resources & activities.
There are notes in the back, and link for more resources & activities.
November 12, 2018
What a great picture book. So old school. I love it.
October 20, 2020
Gorgeous illustrations, poignant story.
February 28, 2023
Touching story of a young Native American girl struggling with being ostracized and the healing power of nature. The beautiful nature illustrations add to the story.
July 15, 2024
Native American story that promotes animism.
February 14, 2010
APA Citation:
Savageau, Cheryl,Hynes, Robert. (1996) Muskrat will be swimming /Flagstaff, AZ : Northland Pub.,
Reading Interest/Level: Grades 2-4
Summary:
It's a delightful story of a young girl, Jeannie, who is hurt by classmates calling her a "lake rat." Her grampa reminds her of the tale of the muskrat, a strong water mammal that "brought earth up from the bottom of the water." Grampa's guidance reminds Jeannie of who she is and helps her reinterpret the name of a "lake rat."
Reflection:
Both "Muskrat Will be Swimming" and "The Birchbark House" contain elements of dreams. To these characters, dreams serve as premonitions, and it inspires them to make decisions and important choices. When Jeannie dreamt of her body being covered with fur (much like a muskrat), diving to the bottom of the lake, she immediately gets Grampa and rows the canoe out to the waters. At this pinnacle moment, Jeannie isn't troubled by being called Lake Rat, because she discovers a kinship with the lake that others simply don't understand.
Savageau, Cheryl,Hynes, Robert. (1996) Muskrat will be swimming /Flagstaff, AZ : Northland Pub.,
Reading Interest/Level: Grades 2-4
Summary:
It's a delightful story of a young girl, Jeannie, who is hurt by classmates calling her a "lake rat." Her grampa reminds her of the tale of the muskrat, a strong water mammal that "brought earth up from the bottom of the water." Grampa's guidance reminds Jeannie of who she is and helps her reinterpret the name of a "lake rat."
Reflection:
Both "Muskrat Will be Swimming" and "The Birchbark House" contain elements of dreams. To these characters, dreams serve as premonitions, and it inspires them to make decisions and important choices. When Jeannie dreamt of her body being covered with fur (much like a muskrat), diving to the bottom of the lake, she immediately gets Grampa and rows the canoe out to the waters. At this pinnacle moment, Jeannie isn't troubled by being called Lake Rat, because she discovers a kinship with the lake that others simply don't understand.
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April 2, 2017This story of loving who you are while encountering insults from peers will likely resonate with many children. I really appreciated that the protagonist told us about (and showed us) her world and how much she loved it from the beginning -- so that we come to know it through her eyes.
The grandfather's point that "when they want to make you feel bad, they compare you to an animal. [...] We know the animals are our relatives. We can learn a lot from them," feels very Native American to me, but I also really like it as a reminder to be conscious about our language -- to think through the implications when we use certain terms as stand-ins for "bad" (or "good").
The turtle story made me wonder if that's where Terry Pratchett got the idea from ;)
The grandfather's point that "when they want to make you feel bad, they compare you to an animal. [...] We know the animals are our relatives. We can learn a lot from them," feels very Native American to me, but I also really like it as a reminder to be conscious about our language -- to think through the implications when we use certain terms as stand-ins for "bad" (or "good").
The turtle story made me wonder if that's where Terry Pratchett got the idea from ;)
August 8, 2012
I really enjoyed this book about Jeannie who is teased at school and called a Lake Rat because she lives in a poorer neighborhood by the lake. She tells of all the neat things she sees by the lake and how she experiences things others don't get to because of where she lives, so that while she may be poor, she's rich in other ways.
November 7, 2016
This book is about a young Native American girl that is struggling with being different at school. Her grandfather helps her deal with issue by telling her an origin story. This book is very heart-warming and the illustrations are well done.
April 14, 2011
A really nice example of how folklore continues to help us shape our lives and our understanding of our place in the world around us.
April 27, 2011
I absolutely love this. Wish I'd had it as a child!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews