What do you think?
Grasshopper Girl
Young Psipsi is sick in bed. What will make her feel better? An Unktomi trickster story from her father lulls her to sleep.
"Unktomi stories have been shared in Dakota families and communities for a very long time. This tradition continued into the childhood of my mother's generation. Depending upon location and community, variations of this Unktomi story have been told. This Unktomi story is a local version my mother and her siblings heard from their father, primarily when they were ill, perhaps to lend comfort in addition to impart lessons to a captive audience." -- Teresa Peterson
"Unktomi stories have been shared in Dakota families and communities for a very long time. This tradition continued into the childhood of my mother's generation. Depending upon location and community, variations of this Unktomi story have been told. This Unktomi story is a local version my mother and her siblings heard from their father, primarily when they were ill, perhaps to lend comfort in addition to impart lessons to a captive audience." -- Teresa Peterson
Paperback
First published April 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 24, 2021
When Psipsicadaŋ Wiciŋyaŋna - the eponymous Grasshopper Girl - feels ill one day, the young Dakota girl is sent to bed by her Ina, or mother. Bored and restless, she longs for her Ate (father) to come and tell her a story. He does just that, relating a tale of Unktomi, the trickster of Dakota/Lakota tradition, and how he got stuck inside a buffalo skull one day, until he was eventually released by a great fall. Entertained and comforted, Psipsi falls asleep, thinking that Unktomi should have heeded the warnings he was given...
Published by the Minnesota-based Black Bears & Blueberries Publishing, a Native-owned non-profit press, Grasshopper Girl is a debut from Dakota author Teresa R. Peterson, who based the story on the childhood experiences of her mother and her mother's sisters, who heard Unktomi stories from their father, when they themselves were ill. The story is engaging, and I appreciated both the "real world" tale of Psipsi and her loving family, and the inset folkloric tale of Unktomi, a trickster figure whose Lakota name, Iktomi, is more familiar to me, thanks to the picture-book retellings of Paul Goble. The accompanying artwork here from Lakota illustrator Jordan Rodgers, who also worked on another Black Bears & Buleberries title, Heather Brink's Rez Dog , is done in a cute cartoon-like style, and is quite expressive. All in all, this was quite enjoyable, and is one I would recommend to picture-book readers looking for stories about Native American families and traditions, or featuring Dakota folklore. The inclusion of Dakota vocabulary, and a glossary at the rear, is a particularly nice feature!
Published by the Minnesota-based Black Bears & Blueberries Publishing, a Native-owned non-profit press, Grasshopper Girl is a debut from Dakota author Teresa R. Peterson, who based the story on the childhood experiences of her mother and her mother's sisters, who heard Unktomi stories from their father, when they themselves were ill. The story is engaging, and I appreciated both the "real world" tale of Psipsi and her loving family, and the inset folkloric tale of Unktomi, a trickster figure whose Lakota name, Iktomi, is more familiar to me, thanks to the picture-book retellings of Paul Goble. The accompanying artwork here from Lakota illustrator Jordan Rodgers, who also worked on another Black Bears & Buleberries title, Heather Brink's Rez Dog , is done in a cute cartoon-like style, and is quite expressive. All in all, this was quite enjoyable, and is one I would recommend to picture-book readers looking for stories about Native American families and traditions, or featuring Dakota folklore. The inclusion of Dakota vocabulary, and a glossary at the rear, is a particularly nice feature!
wishlist-to-buy
April 29, 2020Debbie Reese highly recommends.
August 5, 2020
I loved this book, the main character is looking forward to school and friends, like so many other children.
She is such a relatable child in an environment wholly different than many. But her emotions and family make her very familiar.
It's a great talethat I think my grandkids will enjoy, especially when her dad tells her a story.
Plus, as a quilter, I loved her attachment to her quilt and the pictures of it. Also, the author included a photo of her mother in front of a quilt.
Oh yes, I'm a fan.
She is such a relatable child in an environment wholly different than many. But her emotions and family make her very familiar.
It's a great talethat I think my grandkids will enjoy, especially when her dad tells her a story.
Plus, as a quilter, I loved her attachment to her quilt and the pictures of it. Also, the author included a photo of her mother in front of a quilt.
Oh yes, I'm a fan.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews