A Visual Dictionary of Native Communities

by Bobbie Kalman

This illustrated dictionary introduces the way of life of the early Native peoples who lived across North America. Different nations are featured in spreads that show their way of life in their particular region. Themes include - homes - food - clothing - transportation - hunting techniques

32 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2007

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

[Annie Do · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: History, Dictionaries, Juvenile Literature
Created by Bobbie Kalman.

This book gave an insight into the history, cultures, and customs of Native communities. The illustrations and photographs presented (by various illustrators and photographers) were very detailed and effective in portraying the descriptive text of the book.

Even though the book can be seen as text-heavy, there are numerous amount of pictures and illustrations to compensate. In terms of having this book in a read-aloud circle, I thought that it would be a very interesting contrast to your typical read-aloud circle book, because it did not have a definite plot. Nevertheless, I would expect this book to be a great collection to a teacher's classroom library because it serves as a great resource in discovering the history of Native Americans. Unlike most Native American history books that I have read, this one stands out most because of its (very) unbiased language along with its basic, simple, and straight-to-the-point presentation of information. One of the thing that stood out most to me in this book was the use of the (Native) word "igluvigak" instead of (the American word) "igloo". It shows that the author's selection of words and language in creating this book was considerate of the Native people's language. Overall, I feel that having this book at a read-aloud would have the students entranced with its illustrations and the simple, yet descriptive and age-appropriate presentation of text and information.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice book to get an overview of major Native communities. The illustrations are good and nicely detailed. The information is clear and basic. It's by no means a comprehensive dictionary, but it's a good start.