A review by amysutton
Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, by Cynthia Leitich Smith
3.0
I love the purpose behind this! There needs to be more Native American voices in literature, especially for middle grade and children's lit. This collection is a series of short stories and one poem that are all set at the same powwow in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The stories all stand alone, but they do give nods to other story's characters. For example, the spunky dog who wanders the powwow with a Rez Dogs shirt on gets several mentions throughout the book. I really enjoyed that this gave representation to many different native tribes and groups and showed what a celebration of native culture looks like.
The stories themselves did not fully engage me. I appreciated what they were, but the writing itself was not why I liked this. I was also confused in a few areas by the Indigenous writers using terms like "Indian", "Native", and "Indigenous" interchangeably. I did not think that "Indian" was an appropriate term, so I'm not sure if it's being reclaimed or if it's really an interchangeable term. That was the only thing that was a bit confusing as an adult reader. As a child reader, I'm sure they will love learning more.
The stories themselves did not fully engage me. I appreciated what they were, but the writing itself was not why I liked this. I was also confused in a few areas by the Indigenous writers using terms like "Indian", "Native", and "Indigenous" interchangeably. I did not think that "Indian" was an appropriate term, so I'm not sure if it's being reclaimed or if it's really an interchangeable term. That was the only thing that was a bit confusing as an adult reader. As a child reader, I'm sure they will love learning more.