Over the years my family has enjoyed reading a variety of “great flood” tales from our local Blount County Library. This month found us enjoying the Creek Indian version called, The Otter, the Spotted Frog and the Great Flood by Gerald Hausman and beautifully illustrated by Ramon Shiloh.

In this version, spotted frog announces to the world that a great flood is coming which will destroy all of their homes. All of the animals ignore spotted frog’s warning, except an otter named Listener.

Ridiculed by all the other animals, Listener heeds spotted Frog’s warnings and begins to build a raft to try and survive the coming flood.

As the story progresses and Listener survives the flood, he learns via a mosquito and a fish about his future wife who becomes “First Woman”.

Listener the Otter, and First Woman the mosquito turned fish, both become the first two-legged beings to walk on earth.

From that time on, the earth was good to them and they always listened to Spotted Frog, who everyone knew was the frog who saved the world by singing.

Our family and friends alike have greatly loved this book. First because the story is told brilliantly by Gerald Hausman. It uses simple and concise language while sharing the story in a simple manner. Also part of this storytelling adventure are the exquisite paintings and illustrations of Ramon Shiloh. There is a nice even flow between story and text forming a single cohesive unit of storytelling magic.

This beautiful book is one we will come to again and again.

Something To Do

Discover the Creek Indians

Knowing very little about the Creek Indians we decided to spend some time on the internet to learn more about them. The Creek Indian Nation is named after the Ocmulgee Creek in Georgia. They originally called themselves Isti or Istichata, but began to identify themselves as Muskogee soon after Europeans arrived.

The Creeks live in the Georgia, Alabama and Florida and are part of the Seminole people. To learn more about them and their culture have a look at these websites.

Native American Facts for Kids

Want to know more Creek Stories and Myths have a look here.

Just like Otter we thought building a raft was a really good idea. We got our inspiration here.

We are VERY proud to announce that, for the 3rd year, Wisdom Tales Press is a Platinum Sponsor for the upcoming Multicultural Children’s Book Day!! We are incredibly honored to have them (and our other sponsors-more details to come!) on board to help us spread the word on the importance of getting multicultural books into the hands of young readers. More details on MCCBD 2016 sponsorship can be found HERE.

***Some of these links are affiliate links. I was given a copy of this book for review. The opinions expressed are purely my own.

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Do your young readers love nature and all of nature’s critters? Experience the magical story of a family of foxes that took up residence right in the front yard of the author and publisher, Valarie Budayr. The Fox Diaries: The Year the Foxes Came to our Garden offers an enthusiastically educational opportunity to observe this fox family grow and learn together.

From digging and hunting to playing and resting, this diary shares a rare glimpse into the private lives of Momma Rennie and her babies. Come watch as they navigate this wildly dangerous but still wonderful world. Great to share with your children or students, The Fox Diaries speaks to the importance of growing and learning both individually and as a family unit. It is a perfect book for story time or family sharing. Not only can you read about the daily rituals of this marvelous fox family, there is an information-packed resource section at the end of the book that includes lots of facts and even a few “fox movies” that you can enjoy with your family. Grab your copy of this beautiful and inspiring book HERE.

The post The Otter, the Spotted Frog and the Great Flood Book Review & Extension Activity appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

My calendar on the wall is telling me it’s time to ramp up the planning for our third annual Multicultural Children’s Book Day! As you may all know, this yearly event is designed to not only spotlight all of the amazing multicultrual children’s literature, but also the authors of these books. My desk and Evernote is filled with wonderful and diverse books that I plan to highlight in honor of this upcoming January 27th event, and The Thunder Egg by is one.

The Thunder Egg by Tim J. Myers is an endearing tale that inspires the imagination while tugging at the heart strings.

Stand-By-Herself lived with her grandmother amongst her people in the tall grasses and endless skies of the Plains.

She was very shy an liked to go off alone. Often times the other children would make fun of her.

Stand-By Herself was good at finding thing. She could find sage-grouse chicks in the tall waving grass. She found autumn by watching the ducks flying South. One day she found a odd gray stone. She was sure she had found a thunder egg.

The thunderbird is the creator’s giant eagle who brought rain, thunder and lightening. Carefully taking the thunder egg back to her family’s tipi, she cradle wrapped the thunder egg and sang lovely songs to it.

That summer a horrible drought fell on her people. For days and days the rains did not fall. The holy-man said they must offer sacrifices to make the world new again.

Stands-By Herself knew what she had to do. I don’t want to spoil the story but I promise you that there is a powerful and rich conclusion.

The Thunder Egg is a beautiful teaching story which shares the importance of putting others before ones self.

Beautifully illustrated in watercolors, Winfield Coleman’s art is an inspiration and invites us into the unfolding of this captivating story.

Something To Do

Geodes

The egg of the thunder bird in The Thunder Egg was actually inspired by geodes. Geodes are the tootsie pop of geology. Plain on the outside, actually very dull on the outside, and have beautiful crystals on the inside. There really is a type of geode called a thunder egg. Read on to find out what this is.

The word geode comes from the greek language and means “shape of the earth”.

They come in a variety of sizes spanning in diameter from 1 inch to 4 inches or larger.

How Geodes are formed

Geodes are created in many types of areas. They can be formed in the bubbles of volcanic rocks. They also form in hollow spaces such as rabbit, mouse, gopher, and mole holes. Tree roots also make a great home for geode formation.

Here’s how it works:

Over time, minerals collect in the holes and hollow areas and harden into a ball. This becomes the outside of the geode. What’s happening inside is really fantastic. As the outside layer of the geode hardens, the inside layer continues to from crystals becoming the center of the geode. Every type of mineral can be found inside a geode. The more popular types are quartz and amethyst.

I hope you’re not in a hurry because the insides of geodes are not filled in very quickly. It takes hundreds of millions of years for the space inside a geode to be filled with crystals.

So what’s a Thunder Egg ?

When a geode is completely filled with crystals it’s called a nodule. A geode/nodule which is filled with agate is called a thunder egg.

Breaking a Geode

This next part is beyond fun. We had so much fun doing this. Would you like to get your own geodes and break them?

If you’re near the state of Arkansas you can find lots of rocks and crystals shops to buy geodes in. If however you’re like us and don’t live near or in Arkansas you can buy geodes online. Here’s a great collection to purchase from. We were really happy with the insides of our geodes.

There are a variety of ways to crack open a geode. There are instructions inside the box of geodes we purchased and then there is this wonderful blog post from Gator Girl Rocks that helped immensely.

A Look Inside

Here’s what are geode looks like on the inside. It was such a surprise !!!

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Looking for better guide for successful homeschooling? The Waldorf Homeschool Handbook is a simple step-by-step guide to creating and understanding a Waldorf inspired homeschool plan. Within the pages of this comprehensive homeschooling guide, parents will find information, lesson plans, curriculum, helpful hints, behind the scenes reasons why, rhythm, rituals, helping you fit homeschooling into your life. Discover how to educate your children in a nurturing and creative environment.

Grab your copy HERE: The Waldorf Homeschool Handbook: The Simple Step-by-Step guide to creating a Waldorf-inspired homeschool. http://amzn.to/1OhTfoT

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This week has been jam-packed full of amazing book news and awesome conversations. Here are some of my top picks:

Multicultural Children’s Book Day and Wisdom Tales Press are joining forces to get multicultural books into the hands of MOMS!

Sharing a passion for diversity & multiculturalism in children’s literature, award-winning children’s book publisher, Wisdom Tales Press & non-profit Multicultural Children’s Book Day have joined forces to help young readers “see themselves within the pages of a book.” The duo will be offering many multicultural children’s book titles for purchase at Moms Rock! Expo! an event May 2-3rd at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Get the full scoop HERE and don’t miss the chance to hang out with us in the Wisdom Tales/MCCBD booth!

Penguin Random House. I’m writing to share news about Brightly (www.readbrightly.com), a new resource to help parents raise lifelong readers. The site, a Penguin Random House initiative, relaunched last week with a new look and feel and expanded content offering. I hope you can share news of this resource in your Weekend Links section.  I also wanted to see if you might be interested in contributing to Brightly. We really enjoy your posts on Jump Into A Book and feel you would bring a wonderful perspective to the site.

“Brightly is like your fun, friendly, and well-informed kid-lit pal. Our focus is on celebrating and embracing different kinds of readers, kids, and interests. Brightly gives parents insights into which books and authors their children might get excited about and what activities might enhance a family’s experience of reading,” said Kotin.

Brightly shares book recommendations from across the children’s publishing world for every age and stage, as well as reading tips and insights, special author and illustrator content, seasonal activities, and more. Below is a press release with additional details. Thanks for exploring the site and do let us know what you think. If you are interested in being a guest contributor, I can put you in touch Liz Kotin, our content director who is copied on this email. We look forward to hearing from you! Thanks for your consideration.

Earlier this week The Children’s Book Council announced the wonderful news that a Half a Million New Children’s Books Will Be Distributed through Pediatric Clinics to Help Close the Word Gap

A few weeks back I encountered a disturbing story about an Alemeda County Library who had thrown our thousands of children’s books. The aftermath was filled with great discussions and thoughts. Check out the conversation here:

Homeschooling can be complicated and frustrating, especially if you are overloaded with information. The good news is that you don’t have to figure it out alone. Donna Ashton’s The Waldorf Home School Handbook is a simple and step-by-step guide to creating and understanding a Waldorf-inspired homeschool plan. Within the pages of this all-in-one homeschooling guide parents will find information, samples of lesson plans and curriculum, helpful hints and the secrets behind the three Areas for Optimum Learning. Join Donna as she guides you through the Waldorf method and reveals how to educate your children in a nurturing and creative environment. Visit the Waldorf Homeschool Handbook info page HERE.

The post Weekend Links: Reading Brightly appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

 

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It’s nearly Hanukkah time once again and do I have a most magical tale to share with you!

The Dreidel That Wouldn’t Spin by Martha Seif Simpson and illustrated by Durga Yael Bernhard is a precious tale which shares an important message of the heart.

Two days before Hanukkah, a peddler goes to the toymakers shop and sells him a beautifully painted wooden dreidel. This particular dreidel comes just in time because the shop keeper had sold his last dreidel.

“Remember,” said the peddler. “That the miracle of Hanukkah cannot be bought. ”

In a strange series of events, two different children bought the dreidel and then returned it the next day insisting the dreidel didn’t spin. How does a dreidel not spin?

Each time the shop keeper refunded the customers money. He himself would try spinning the dreidel and it always spun perfectly with no problems.

Later that same afternoon, a man and a boy came to the shop looking in the windows. They were very poor wearing ill fitted and patch clothing. They had no money but the shopkeeper invited them in any way just to look around. The young boy was delighted in all that he saw and wanted nothing, just the joy of looking at everything.

The shopkeeper was so touched that he gave the boy the beautiful dreidel that wouldn’t spin for the other children. The shopkeeper told him that the dreidel was broken but this very special boy could make it spin. The boy with the golden heart could spin the dreidel. As the dreidel spun and landed it left a special message but I’ve told you enough of the story now. I’ll leave that for you to discover on your own.

This book is magically written and the story masterfully told. Durga Yael Benhard’s illustrations are colorful and captivating bringing this tale of the heart to life.

Pssst: Would you like to WIN a copy of “Dreidel?” Starting tomorrow (12-10-14) I will be giving away a copy of this wonderful book along with other lovely Wisdom Tales Press titles! Remember, this giveaway won’t be live until Wednesday, but be sure and stop back to enter to WIN!

Something To Do

Though I’m not Jewish, I can share that our best friends are and we’ve celebrated Hanukkah with them for years and years. Hanukkah is December 16th-24th this year !!!

What is Hanukkah?

Hanukkah is the Jewish holiday known as the Festival of Lights. Hanukkah lasts for eight nights, celebrating a miracle which happened a long time ago.

In 165 BC the Greek Emperor captured the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. A group of brave Jewish warriors known as the Maccabees recaptured the temple. As they were re-dedicating the Jewish Temple, they only had enough olive oil to light the sacred lamp, the menorah, for on day. This little bit of oil ended up lasting for eight days and nights. During Hanukkah a new candle is lit each night for eight nights.

Latkes Recipe

One of our favorite parts of the Hanukkah celebration is our friend Suzie’s Latke party. Latkes are potato pancakes. Here’s her fabulous recipe. Enjoy !!!

Ingredients

1 -1/2 pounds russet potatoes peeled
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons flour (or more)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
Directions

In a food processor grate the potatoes. Line a sieve with cheesecloth and transfer potatoes to the sieve. Set sieve over a bowl, twist cheesecloth into a pouch, squeezing out some moisture. Let mixture drain for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour off liquid from the bowl but leave the white potato starch that settles in the bottom of the bowl.

To that starch add shallots, eggs, flour, 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt and freshly ground pepper. Return drained potatoes to this mixture and toss to combine.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking pan with paper towels. When you are ready to eat, in a large skillet heat 1/4 inch of oil over medium high heat until hot. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of potato mixture and cook for 3 to 4 minutes a side; latkes should be golden and crisp on both sides. Eat right away or keep warm in oven. Serve with applesauce or sour cream or cottage cheese mixed with sour cream.

Dreidels and Chocolate

One of the nights of Hanukkah we head over to the Roseman’s for dinner, and some serious dreidel spinning and geld ( chocolate gold coins) eating.

The dreidel is a four-sided top which has four distinct letters in Hebrew on each side. The object of the game is to spin the dreidel and collect coins or candy depending upon what letter appears after each spin.

Each side of your dreidel will need to have on it one of the following Hebrew letters;

נ (Nun)

ג (Gimel

ה (Hei)

ש (Shin)

You can make your own Dreidel here.

Here’s how to play

Each player starts with some gelt (or money, sweets or counters). Each player puts one coin into the pot in the centre. The players take it in turns to spin the dreidel, following the instructions of the letter which lands facing up.

נ = Nit (Nothing), play passes to next player.

ג = Gants (all), the player takes all of the pot.

ה = Half, the player takes half of the pot.

ש = Put, the player puts all of his coins into the pot.

Play can go either for a set amount of time or until one player has won all of the coins.

Make a Hand Print Menorah

It wouldn’t be the Festival of Lights without a Menorah. Here’s a great way to remember your little ones as they grow and celebrate at the same time. You can find it here.

FREE GIFT from Jump Into a Book!

The post What would you do with a Dreidel that doesn’t Spin ? appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

Horse Raid: The Making of a Warrior by Paul Goble shared great insight into the every day lives of Lakota Indians.

This book is not only beautiful to look at but is well researched, giving a lot of information on a topic I had no knowledge. Giving us a front row seat of a horse raid from the view point of the main character Lone Bull, we learn of his first horse raid when he was fourteen years old. Horse Raiding was a time honored tradition and a right of passage for every young boy. Lone Bull’s father was the chief of the Lakota tribe. Calling on 9 other great hunters, the chief holds a meeting in their teepee to make plans to raid the crow horses. This is where Lone Bull hears of the horse raid plan and then comes up with one of his own to join his father and the other brave men. Lone Bull and his friend decided that they would follow the men quietly. When it was too late to send them home, they would unveil themselves and join the horse raiding party. Lone Bull’s grandfather knew about the plan and prepared the supplies and horses for the soon to be horse raiders.

More than this I cannot tell you. You’ll have to read it for yourself. Told with vivid words and exciting moments of the raid , Paul Goble brings to life the story of Lone Bull through his magnificent painting and his ledger book style. Lovely browns, blacks, blues, and reds. walk us through the plains of a pre-reservation life where horse raiding was a chance for men to show their courage and bravery in battle.  No one can become brave by sitting at home. As Lone Bull’s grandfather reminds us , ” No man can help another to be brave, but through brave deeds you many become a leader one day. ”

This newly revised edition features digitally enhanced artwork for vivid colors, a completely revised text, a brand new layout which makes for incredible story telling, and an interesting foreword from one of the world’s more famous storytellers Joseph Bruchac.

This book lends itself nicely to a look at the buffalo days and life on the plains. Beautifully written.

This book was given for review by the publisher Wisdom Tales Press.

Something to Do

A Song for the Horse Nation

This site shares the history and relationship between the Native American people and the horse. On this site they have a couple of examples of “horse charms” used in actual horse raids.

Draw a Horse Raid

Story teller and artist Paul Goble uses a style of art known as ledger book art. During the 1800′s Native American’s used what they could find. Oftentimes the paper they would find to draw on would be found in ledger books. Here’s a couple of ideas to get you started. Also be sure to use some examples from Paul Goble’s book Horse Raid as well.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
(The Ultimate Guide)

Do you remember the first time you read Charlie and
The Chocolate Factory as a child?

A world with geese that laid golden eggs, squirrels that could sort nuts, and colorful little people called Oompa Loompas? Would you like to re-live that experience with one of the greatest children’s books of all time like never before?

Want to know more and get your copy?

The post Would You Like You Like a Look into the Every Day Lives of Lakota Indians? appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

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Cheers to our friends at Wisdom Tales Press! Editor President of Wisdom Tales Press, Mary-Kathryne Steele shared with us that Wisdom Tales recently  won 12 medals, including 4 gold medals, at the MIPA (Midwest Independent Publishers Assoc) awards ceremony in St Paul, MN. Congratulations to all!

MIDWEST BOOK AWARDS MEDAL WINNERS

 Children’s Fiction

Custer’s Last Battle by Paul Goble SILVER MEDAL

What an amazing and well-written book! Read my review with accompanying activities HERE.

Children’s Non-Fiction

Children of the Tipi edited by Michael Oren Fitzgerald SILVER MEDAL

Read my review of Children of the Tipi:

Michael Oren Fitzgerald in his new release Children of the Tipi, Life in the Buffalo Days assembles a collection of Plains Indian proverbs and photographs to answer the question, what was it like for children to grow up in the world of the pre-reservation Plains Indians during the Buffalo Days? Read more HERE.

Check out my fun CornHusk Doll Activity inspired by the books as well.

Children’s Picture Books

Angels by Alexis York-Lumbard, illustrated by Flavia Weedn GOLD MEDAL

Read my book review of Angels:

Alexis has done something very special in her book “Angels” by showing us that the “angelic realms” are most empowering through their interactions here on earth. Alexis shows us the gentle wonder, beauty, and comfort in her lyrical text. Flavia’s illustrations are done in delicate, overflowing water colors, inviting every reader into a magical place with caring and kindness. Read more HERE.

The Otter, the Spotted Frog and the Great Flood by Gerald Hausman, illustrated by Ramon Shiloh SILVER MEDAL

Read my review of this wonderful story over at The Library Adventure!

Over the years my family has enjoyed reading a variety of “great flood” tales from our local Blount County Library. This month found us enjoying the Creek Indian version called, The Otter, the Spotted Frog and the Great Flood by Gerald Hausman and beautifully illustrated by Ramon Shiloh. Read more here.

History

The Compassionate Warrior by Elsa Marston, foreword by Barbara Petzen SILVER MEDAL

Read my review of The Compassionate Warrior :

Elsa has written prolifically about the Middle East and has published several titles for children. I asked Elsa to stop by today to share her latest release with us The Compassionate Warrior: Abd el-Kader of Algeria (Wisdom Tales Press 2013). This poignant biography for teens shares Abd el Kader’s efforts to prevent the French colonization of Algeria but what he is truly known for his deep respect and acceptance for friend and foe alike and an in-depth interest in people of all political and religious backgrounds. I can share with you that my own teen couldn’t put this book down and felt greatly inspired by the ideas of Abd el-Kader and his ways of building harmony and peace between people, ideas, and political agendas. Read more HERE.

Illustration: Graphic

The Fantastic Adventures of Krishna by Demi SILVER MEDAL

Read my review of The Fantastic Adventures of Krishna:

In this elegant read, we ventured into the world and land of India, the God Krishna, and Hinduism in the book The Fantastic Adventures of Krishna by author/illustrator Demi. When a peaceful kingdom is overtaken by an evil demon, the gods send the child Krishna to the rescue. Hidden amongst the poor and peaceful cow herds, his amazing powers can’t stay hidden from the evil demon king for long. Soon he is under attack from giant birds, a whirlwind demon, and a snake eight miles long. The question is, will Krishna be able to defeat the evil demon king and save the people from his terrible reign? Read more HERE.

The Otter, the Spotted Frog and the Great Flood by Gerald Hausman, illustrated by Ramon Shiloh GOLD MEDAL

Interior Layout

Children of the Tipi by Michael Oren Fitzgerald GOLD MEDAL

Publisher’s Website

Wisdom Tales Press SILVER MEDAL

Total Book Design

Children of the Tipi by Michael Oren Fitzgerald SILVER MEDAL

The Otter, the Spotted Frog and the Great Flood by Gerald Hausman, illustrated by Ramon Shiloh SILVER MEDAL

Young Adult Non-Fiction

The Compassionate Warrior by Elsa Marston, foreword by Barbara Petzen GOLD MEDAL

Congrats to Wisdom Tales Press!

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The post Wisdom Tales Press Wins 12 Midwest Book Awards! appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

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Custer’s Last Battle by Paul Goble

In answer to the need for an “actual” account of the Battle of Little Big Horn for his son Richard, Paul Goble created a book which allows its readers to rediscover the retelling of the Battle of Little Big Horn from a Native American perspective.”Custer’s Last Battle” by acclaimed author/illustrator Paul Goble is this new edition of his first published book out by Wisdom Tales Press. This week “Custer’s Last Battle” was the winner of  the Silver Medal for Children’s Non-Fiction in the MIPA Awards Ceremony ( Midwest Independent Publisher’s Association). Gorgeously illustrated and fabulous story-telling.

This book is greatly deserving of this award as it is a simple but solid look into one of the more famous battles in U.S. history. Told from the view-point of a fictional a 15-year-old Lakota Warrior named Red Hawk, “Custer’s Last Battle” gives voice to those Native Americans who were so violently attacked that day and shares their perspective. The text is short and simple, but delivers the stories of brave men who fought and lost their life that day, of the women and children running and the fear they felt and at the same time the story-telling act of giving respect and honor to their aggressors. There is a quote from Chief Sitting Bull which says; “‘I will tell no lies about dead men. Those men who came with Long Hair were as good men as ever fought.”

The version of the story I had learned in school was that Custer was the “hero” of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. How much we’ve learned from Custer’s Last Battle. We’ve had the honor to spend more than the “required” time in our high school history courses to a learn a little more about this story.

For those of you who may not be familiar with the story it goes something like this :
“On the morning of June 25th, 1876, a force of 700 men from the 7th U.S. Cavalry led by General George Armstrong Custer attacked a Native American encampment on the banks of the Little Bighorn River. Unbeknownst to Custer, he faced the combined might of the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes, led by the greatest chiefs, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. Advised by his Indian scouts not to attack, the foolhardy general ignored their warnings and trusted “Custer’s luck” one last time. The Native Americans won a huge victory, in fact it was the largest ever one by Native Americans. ”

The illustrations in this book are beautiful yet simple and complex holding many details. The colors are bright and bold and stand out from the text. Paul Goble designed the illustrations for this book in the Ledger Book style. Ledge book art is the name which was given to early Native American drawings. They utilized pens and colored pencils on trader ledger book paper. It was the only paper at the time available to Native American.

Another detail of this book that I really like so much is the forward written by Joe Medicine Crow. At the time of its writing, Mr. Crow was 98 years old and had met many survivors of Custer’s Last Battle. He points out that though there are 3000 written documents which speak of General Custer’s position and demise, none of them mention the survivors of that day. This lively tale, though fictionalized is taken from many first hand accounts of Native Americans fighting that day and from people who were watching from the bluffs in June 1976. Dr. Joe Medicine Crow validates that Paul Goble got the story correct and accurately as he states in his forward.

Although this book is aimed at a younger market, please be aware that this is a book talking about a historical battle. There are guns, and weapons, and there is death and dying but there is also honor, bravery, and courage. I was reading this book with older children and young adults aged 11-15. A child of a much younger age can easily read the text. Each one of us has to decide whether this book is right for their children based on subject matter.

Custer’s Last Stand encouraged and inspired us to look at history from a variety of perspectives. We learned so much from this little 44 page book. I highly recommend it and feel it gives an insightful look to the happenings of June 25th 1876. To get your copy of this amazing offering from Wisdom Tales Press, go HERE.

Somethings To Do:

1. I asked the my teenager and his friends to find another version of this story from the U.S. Cavalry’s point of view. We then had a discussion of how things differed.

2. Where is little Big Horn ? Find it here.

3. National Park

Little Bighorn National Monument

In the past, we have created authentic bows and arrows as a family. You can find that activity HERE.

Disclosure: I was given a review copy of this book by Wisdom Tales Press but the review and opinions in this review are expressly my own.

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.

The Otter, the Spotted Frog & the Great Flood: A Creek Indian Story

by Gerald Hausman &  Ramon Shiloh, illustrator

Wisdom Tales Press       10/01/2013

978-1-937786-12-0

Age 4 to 8       36 pages

“Based on a traditional story from the Creek Indians of northern Florida and Georgia, ‘The Otter, the Spotted Frog, & the Great Flood’ tells the tale of Listener the Otter, the only animal that heeds the warnings of Spotted Frog. Ridiculed by the other animals, Listener begins to build a raft to try and survive the impending disaster. But will his effort be enough?”                                                                     

Opening

“There were two animal people who lived in the long ago. One was Listener, a river otter. The other was Honors Himself, a buffalo chief.”

The Story

In the span of four days, Listener and Honors Himself would take different actions upon hearing the prophecy of Spotted Frog. Listener was the only one who had the ability to understand the frogs’ singing. Spotted Frog sang,

“A Great Flood is coming.

Soon it will cover the land.

I sing so that you can save yourselves.”

Honors Himself, who claims to hate frogs, throws Spotted Frog into the fire, but no matter how many times he does this, Spotted Frog remains unharmed. Honors Himself refuses to believe the prophecy though Other Woman tries to understand but can see no sign of rain. Listener reacted differently. He ass Spotted Frog to repeat the prophecy and then does exactly what Spotted Frog tells him to do—build a raft.

Honors Himself calls Listener a fool and the other animals laugh at Listener. Through it all, Listener continues to build his raft and follows all of what Spotted Frog tells him. Soon it starts to rain, lightly at first and then heavier. The ground swells with water and the swamp becomes a great lake. Water covers the land and rises. What becomes of  the other animals, Listener, Honors Himself, and Other Woman?

Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Wisdom Tales Press, Bloomington, IN.

Review

The Otter, the Spotted Frog & the Great Flood:  A Creek Indian Story tells the story of the flood and Noah’s Ark. It is an original story from the Creek Indians. Other Native Indian tribes have similar stories. Listener follows the prophet Spotted Frog, just as Noah followed God’s orders to build an ark. Honors Himself is the perfect name for those that followed only what they could see or knew, rejecting everything else. Honors Himself becomes so upset he tries to kill the prophet Spotted Frog. That reminds me of a saying, from who I do not know, that says not to kill the messenger.

Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Wisdom Tales Press, Bloomington, IN.

The story also explains how man—the two-leggeds—came to exist. There is so much symbolism in The Otter, the Spotted Frog & the Great Flood that this book is best for middle grades and above. I think younger children will understand the straightforward story of the Great Flood but not that of the birth of people—the two-leggeds. The transformation of Listener to a man might even test middle grade students. The Great Flood is the majority of the story and it is interesting. Listener ties his raft to a strong tree and rises up to the dome of the sky, safe from passing through it and never returning. With the rope, Listener connects to the tall, mighty oak—a  higher spirit, who in turn protects Listener

Teachers might find The Otter, the Spotted Frog & the Great Flood a good book when teaching Native Indian traditions and teachings. This book also lends itself to the study of symbolism. The illustrations visually interpret the story giving the book an unmistakable folktale style. With the text, The Otter, the Spotted Frog & the Great Flood will entertain the reader while instructing on the power of Mother Nature and of listening to her, to those more knowledgeable than oneself, and to a Higher Power. Animal stories have a way of capturing a child’s attention, so it is no surprise the Creek Indians used animals in this story.

Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Wisdom Tales Press, Bloomington, IN.

I found The Otter, the Spotted Frog & the Great Flood to be an interesting story that required a slower, more thoughtful reading, and even a second reading to fully comprehend all of the symbolism used. This is a beautiful book. The bright illustrations that will catch a child’s eye, just as the use of animals will hold their attention. The heavier pages will withstand grabbing by little hands.

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Learn more about The Otter, the Spotted Frog, & the Great Flood HERE.

Buy The Otter, the Spotted Frog, &the Great Flood at Amazon—B&N—Wisdom Tales—iTunes—your local bookstore.

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Meet the author, Gerald Hausman at his website:  http://www.geraldhausman.com/

Meet the illustrator, Ramon Shiloh at his website:  http://www.ramonshiloh.com/

Find other great children’s books at the Wisdom Tales Press website:  http://wisdomtalespress.com/

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THE OTTER, THE SPOTTED FROG & THE GREAT FLOOD: A CREEK INDIAN STORY. Text copyright © 2013 by Gerald Hausman. Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Ramon Shiloh. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Wisdom Tales Press, Bloomington, IN.

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