A review by nikkigee81
Saltypie: A Choctaw Journey from Darkness Into Light by Tim Tingle
4.0
1. Culture or group portrayed: Native Americans, specifically Choctaw.
2. Book information: Tingle, T. (2010). Saltypie: a Choctaw Journey from Darkness into Light. El Paso, Texas: Cinco Puntos Press.
3. Summary: This book is about Mr. Tingle’s experiences as a young boy, and learning about his family, especially his grandmother, who he calls MawMaw. Every time there is some sort of adversity or hardship, the family calls it “saltypie,” which young Tim eventually learns is a way to shrug it off, and move on. The origin of the word comes from Tim’s father as a child; the family had moved to Texas, and Tim’s mawmaw was hit by a rock from a random kid when she walked out of her door one morning; as she cried, the blood was coming down her hand and Tim’s father thought it was something else, like pie filling, and put it in his mouth, then spat it out, exclaiming “Saltypie!” Mr. Tingle also tells us why his grandma always put her thumb in the coffee cup as she poured.
4. Cultural/Multicultural evaluation: Both the author and the illustrator are Choctaw, and the illustrations are absolutely beautiful and work very well with the stories about young Tim and his grandmother. One of the pictures I especially liked is when the entire extended family is waiting in the hospital after Mawmaw undergoes surgery, and there are ghostly imprints of the family that have passed, waiting, too. For a short book, Mr. Tingle covers a lot of ground: racism, resilience, the importance of family, and so on. There is also a great afterword by the author, entitled, “How Much Do We Tell Them?” which illustrates the problem we still have today, of accurately portraying Native Americans.
5. Conclusion/verdict: Highly recommended. This is an enjoyable and wonderful book for ANY age group.
2. Book information: Tingle, T. (2010). Saltypie: a Choctaw Journey from Darkness into Light. El Paso, Texas: Cinco Puntos Press.
3. Summary: This book is about Mr. Tingle’s experiences as a young boy, and learning about his family, especially his grandmother, who he calls MawMaw. Every time there is some sort of adversity or hardship, the family calls it “saltypie,” which young Tim eventually learns is a way to shrug it off, and move on. The origin of the word comes from Tim’s father as a child; the family had moved to Texas, and Tim’s mawmaw was hit by a rock from a random kid when she walked out of her door one morning; as she cried, the blood was coming down her hand and Tim’s father thought it was something else, like pie filling, and put it in his mouth, then spat it out, exclaiming “Saltypie!” Mr. Tingle also tells us why his grandma always put her thumb in the coffee cup as she poured.
4. Cultural/Multicultural evaluation: Both the author and the illustrator are Choctaw, and the illustrations are absolutely beautiful and work very well with the stories about young Tim and his grandmother. One of the pictures I especially liked is when the entire extended family is waiting in the hospital after Mawmaw undergoes surgery, and there are ghostly imprints of the family that have passed, waiting, too. For a short book, Mr. Tingle covers a lot of ground: racism, resilience, the importance of family, and so on. There is also a great afterword by the author, entitled, “How Much Do We Tell Them?” which illustrates the problem we still have today, of accurately portraying Native Americans.
5. Conclusion/verdict: Highly recommended. This is an enjoyable and wonderful book for ANY age group.