The Monster Who Ate the State Written and Illustrated by Chris Browne South Dakota Historical Society Press 9/25/2014 978-0-9860355-9-3 32 pages Age 5+ “ROAR! Soozy the dinosaur is awake and HUNGRY! “Bang, bang, tap, tap—the scientists at an underground laboratory in South Dakota are busy with their experiments. A creature …
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By: Keith Schoch ,
on 2/12/2011
Blog: Teach with Picture Books (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: South Dakota Historical Society Press, history, Add a tag
I admire those who take pride in their people and their homelands. This is certainly the case of South Dakota State Historical Society Press, and by extension, the people of that state. I was very impressed by the titles they shared with me, and I'm pleased now to share them with you. If your curriculum includes Native Americans, Westward Expansion, Pioneers, the Great Plains, or simple myths and storytelling, then the following titles will be of interest to you.
The Prairie Dog Prince
begins when Annie saves a small prairie dog from a trap, only to be told by her friend Pete that it might be a gnome is disguise. The mysterious prairie dog returns a year later and the seemingly forgotten favor is repaid, with some unforeseen consequences. Even little girls with good intentions need to be careful what they wish for!
The Prairie Dog Prince combines elements of many genres, and will remind some of Alice's tumble down the rabbit hole. In a format found in all of the Society's books, the introduction to this book provides notes of historical importance, which will enrich the tale for both teller and listener:
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By: Sue Morris @ KidLitReviews,
on 10/21/2015
Blog: Kid Lit Reviews (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Debut Illustrator, Chris Browne, Monster Who Ate the State, T-Rex Sue, South Dakota landmarks, prehistoric creatures, Children's Books, Picture Book, history, geography, dinosaurs, Debut Author, South Dakota Historical Society Press, 4stars, Library Donated Books, Add a tag
Blog: Kid Lit Reviews (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Debut Illustrator, Chris Browne, Monster Who Ate the State, T-Rex Sue, South Dakota landmarks, prehistoric creatures, Children's Books, Picture Book, history, geography, dinosaurs, Debut Author, South Dakota Historical Society Press, 4stars, Library Donated Books, Add a tag
By: Keith Schoch ,
on 2/12/2011
Blog: Teach with Picture Books (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: South Dakota Historical Society Press, history, Add a tag
The Prairie Dog Prince
begins when Annie saves a small prairie dog from a trap, only to be told by her friend Pete that it might be a gnome is disguise. The mysterious prairie dog returns a year later and the seemingly forgotten favor is repaid, with some unforeseen consequences. Even little girls with good intentions need to be careful what they wish for!The Prairie Dog Prince
combines elements of many genres, and will remind some of Alice's tumble down the rabbit hole. In a format found in all of the Society's books, the introduction to this book provides notes of historical importance, which will enrich the tale for both teller and listener:The Prairie Dog Prince is a fairy tale set on the plains of western South Dakota over a century ago. The author combined three things in telling this story: she took the Great Plains as her setting, added pieces of American Indian legends, and borrowed magical creatures from German fairy tales. The South Dakota prairies have long been home to the Lakota Indians, whose legends say that their people used to live in the Underworld and came to earth through an opening in a cave. In German fairy tales, gnomes live underground, and in western South Dakota, prairie dogs do. The author used all these ideas in crafting this tale.
Eva Katharine Gibson first published the story as a novel for young readers in 1901. She probably chose a South Dakota setting because of the success of L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz which came out the year before. Baum had lived in South Dakota, and he used prairie settings and characters to write what many people consider the first true American fairy tale. Gibson also wanted to create an American fairy story, and she set her novel, called Zauberlinda, The Wise Witch, on the western prairies. The title also reflected the fact that Gibson had spent time traveling in Germany. Zauber is the German word for “enchantment,” and the story includes German fairy tale elements, although the character of the Wise Witch herself was most likely inspired by Baum’s Glinda, the Good Witch.
Eva Katharine Gibson first published the story as a novel for young readers in 1901. She probably chose a South Dakota setting because of the success of L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz which came out the year before. Baum had lived in South Dakota, and he used prairie settings and characters to write what many people consider the first true American fairy tale. Gibson also wanted to create an American fairy story, and she set her novel, called Zauberlinda, The Wise Witch, on the western prairies. The title also reflected the fact that Gibson had spent time traveling in Germany. Zauber is the German word for “enchantment,” and the story includes German fairy tale elements, although the character of the Wise Witch herself was most likely inspired by Baum’s Glinda, the Good Witch.
6 Comments on Tales from the Black Hills, last added: 2/13/2011
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i'm going to put the prairie dog prince on my to read list. thanks for sharing these!
Great list! The Black Hills are rich with history. Even better is a trip out to experience the natural beauty in person. Enjoyed your post!
Stopping through via the Blog Hop! I love children's books and read them often and review them (I'm in the process of creating a new blog just for Children's Books). I really look forward to reading more posts and reviews!!
~Happy Reading~
<3 Patricia @ Patricia's Particualrity
http://patriciasparticularity.blogspot.com
P.S New Follower
What a timely post for us - my eldest is going through a phase of adoring everything Native American. We're almost through reading The Birchbark House which we've both enjoyed immensely, but these picture books look good too. We've also made use of the recommendations here:
http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2010/07/top-ten-books-recommended-for.html and the blog American Indians in Children's Literature more generally.
Hey, Zoe.
Thnaks for reminding readers of that excellent site for checking out Native American children's lit. I also referred to it about a week or two ago in my post on Fatty Legs (http://teachwithpicturebooks.blogspot.com/2011/02/fatty-legs-true-story.html), the story of a Native American girl. I definitely refer to her blog myself in an effort to not only be respectful of these cultures, but also stay up to date on great titles.
Carrie and Patricia, thanks for stopping by! Michelle, from all that I've seen in movies and pictures, that land looks beautiful! Maybe the South Dakota Historical Society Press will fly me out to visit!