A review by mat_tobin
Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids by Cynthia Leitich Smith
5.0
Something important is happening with this book; native American families from different nations are coming together to share their stories, beliefs, cultures and traditions and each story in this collection is written by someone from that community.
Each story from this collection is connected to the Mother Earth Pow-wow Dance in Ann Arbor, Michigan and each family and the attached protagonist invites us into their lives, ambitions, frustrations and dreams. These are stories of resilience, companionship across tribes/nations and also the differences between each one too.
What absolutely shone through was the utter authenticity of voice. There is simply no way someone outside of the community could write like this with that sense of home, family, language and culture. Although it may seem that these stories lack adventure or anything gripping, this isn't what they are setting out to do. They are about bringing communities together, providing 'mirror, window and a sliding glass door' (Bishop, 1990) to its entire readership.
With a broad range of writers, each sharing their own heritage and nation story this is a unique gathering of voices and I cherished each one as a window in (for me). I hope more of these stories continue to be shared.
Each story from this collection is connected to the Mother Earth Pow-wow Dance in Ann Arbor, Michigan and each family and the attached protagonist invites us into their lives, ambitions, frustrations and dreams. These are stories of resilience, companionship across tribes/nations and also the differences between each one too.
What absolutely shone through was the utter authenticity of voice. There is simply no way someone outside of the community could write like this with that sense of home, family, language and culture. Although it may seem that these stories lack adventure or anything gripping, this isn't what they are setting out to do. They are about bringing communities together, providing 'mirror, window and a sliding glass door' (Bishop, 1990) to its entire readership.
With a broad range of writers, each sharing their own heritage and nation story this is a unique gathering of voices and I cherished each one as a window in (for me). I hope more of these stories continue to be shared.