"Focus on Joseph Bruchac"

Selected by Lisa Von Drasek, Bank Street Library Children's Librarian.

Often in November, the month that contains Thanksgiving, our attention turns to Native American culture. This month at the Bank Street Corner we focus our book recommendations on an American treasure, the award-winning writer and nationally renowned storyteller — and a person of Abenaki Indian descent — Joseph Bruchac. A skilled writer, renowned for his extensive research, Bruchac’s work cannot be pigeonedholed as representative of any one genre. Bruchac is a reteller of traditional tales (The First Strawberries and How Chipmunk Got His Stripes), of memoir (Bowman’s Store), and of biography in an accessible picture book style (A Boy Called Slow, Squanto’s Journey : the Story of the First Thanksgiving and Crazy Horse’s Vision). Bruchac is also an enticing novelist (Sacajawea and The Journal of Jesse Smoke) and a poet (The Earth Under Sky Bear’s Feet : Native American Poems Of The Land). Bruchac is the author of over sixty books. This list is but a fraction of his titles and just the beginning of an exciting journey through his work.

Crazy Horse’s Vision
by Joseph Bruchac, illustrated by S.D. Nelson.
Biography
Ages 8+

A young Lakota boy, called Curly because of the texture of his hair, is drawn into battle to defend his people. He prepares by undertaking a “vision quest” to become a brave defender of his people. Both the author and illustrator have contributed extensive endnotes. Nelson, the illustrator, states that the sweeping , dramatic illustrations of acrylic on board were influenced by the traditional ledger book drawings of his ancestors.

Bowman’s Store : A Journey to Myself
by Joseph Bruchac
Autobiography
Ages 14 +

Finally back in print, this memoir tells of Bruchac’s childhood. Although his grandparents, who raised him, did not talk about his Abenaki heritage, Bruchach, called “Sonny,” is drawn to Native American culture. The love and adventure of his childhood is movingly conveyed in this autobiography

A Boy Called Slow : The True Story of Sitting Bull
by Joseph Bruchac, illustrated by Rocco Baviera
Biography
Ages 8 +

In the tradition of the Sioux, children were first named for their observable attributes. And so it was for one boy called “Slow.” As he grew, worked hard, and became more accomplished, he came to know that he would not always be called slow. This sensitive coming-of-age story is illustrated with strong, powerful acrylics, which create an exceptional picture book for older children.

Squanto’s Journey : The Story of the First Thanksgiving
by Joseph Bruchac, illustrated by Greg Shed
Picture Book
Ages 7 +
ISBN: 0152018174

This is a first-person fictionalized account of the first Thanksgiving celebration from a Native American point of view. In 1620, the Mayflower landed on shores inhabited by the Pokanoket people. Squanto, despite previous abusive experiences with visitors from far away, showed the English immigrants how to survive. He taught them how to plant corn, beans, and squash, and how to hunt and fish. The details (from food to the clothing) in this picture book for older children was meticulously researched, and illustrated in warm, rich gauche. This is an exceptional book to share in classrooms as well as at home.

Sacajawea : The Story of Bird Woman and the Lewis and Clark Expedition
by Joseph Bruchac
Fictional Biography
Ages 11 +

In alternating voices, sixteen-year-old Sacajawea, a Shoshoni Indian interpreter, peacemaker, and guide, and William Clark, American explorer, describe their experiences on the Lewis and Clark Expedition to the Northwest. This book is an accessible, very human retelling of this extraordinary journey westward. Bruchac also describes the original source material, which he reworked to form this compelling novel.

The Journal of Jesse Smoke: A Cherokee Boy
by Joseph Bruchac
New York : Scholastic Inc., 2001.
Fiction
Ages 8 +

Bruchac’s book is an exceptional addition to the popular fictional journal series that comprises Dear America and My Name Is America. Jesse Smoke, a sixteen-year-old Cherokee, begins a journal in 1837 to record stories of his people and their difficulties as they face removal along the Trail of Tears. All of Bruchac’s in-depth research of people and situations are evident without being intrusive. As with all of the books in this series, background notes and period photographs are included in an addenda.

How Chipmunk Got His Stripes: A Tale of Bragging and Teasing
by Joseph Bruchac, illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey
Folklore
Ages 4 +

Written with his son James, this is an energetic tale of bragging Bear and teasing Brown Squirrel. The tale is sure to become a story-time favorite with its repetitious phrases and bright friendly illustrations.

The First Strawberries
by Joseph Bruchac, illustrated by Anna Vojtech
Folklore
Ages 5 +

A quarrel between the first man and the first woman is resolved when the Sun causes strawberries to grow out of the earth. The first written version of the story that Bruchac encountered was by a man named James Mooney, who included it in Myths of the Cherokee, which was published in 1900. It is a sweet tale that children will want to hear again and again

The Earth Under Sky Bear’s Feet: Native American Poems of the Land
by Joseph Bruchac, illustrated by Thomas Locker
Poetry
Ages 8 +

This is a retelling of twelve tales in poetry about nighttime phenomena from various North American Indian cultures. Locker’s sweeping, rich paintings perfectly match the varied landscapes — from the Mohawk and Missisquoi peoples of the Northeastern United States to the Pima, Cochiti Pueblo, and Navajo peoples of the Southwest.