ELEM: Dear America _Diary of....A Sioux Girl_ review

[Johanna Halbeisen <johanna@MASSED.NET>]

I found these comments and an exerpted review on the list Multicultural
Pavllion.
The following  exerpt is from an extensive review of The Diary of Nannie
Little Rose, A Sioux Girl_
I got permission from the author to post this exerpt and I urge anyone
interested in reading the full review to go to
http://www.oyate.org/avoid.htm

I believe strongly that those of us in education should do all that we
can to foster the truth and bring attention to stereotypes which
influence young minds. The country's recent experience with the
Columbine H.S. massacre and the ongoing massacres in Cossovo and Iraq
seem to be setting the stage for an acceptance of violence,
misinformation and racism. If this article is of concern to you, use it
and distribute its' message as you see fit. Teachers, parents and
Scholastic Magazine need to be challenged with the truth.

Additional messages on this subject have suggested commenting to
Scholastic at their feedback page at http://www.scholastic.com/custsvce/
and submitting comments about the book to amazon.com and
barnesandnoble.com

The following is an exerpt of an extensive review of The Diary of Nannie
Little Rose, A Sioux Girl_
I got permission from the author to post this exerpt and I urge anyone
interested in reading the full review to go to
http://www.oyate.org/avoid.htm

Date: Mon, 05 Apr 1999 06:11:18 -0500
From: Debbie Reese <d-reese@uiuc.edu>
Subject: QUERY: Historical fiction re: Carlisle in1880

"There I found the Indian burial ground, with dozens of white headstones
bearing the names of the Native American children from all tribes who
had died while at the school. The names, with the tribes inscribed
underneath, were so lyrical that they leapt out at me and took on
instant personalities. Although many of these children attended Carlisle
at dates later than that of my story, I used some of their names for
classmates of Nannie Little Rose." (page 195)

"Like Lucy Pretty Eagle, not all the children in the book were at
Carlisle that first year. But like Lucy Pretty Eagle, their
personalities came through to me with such force and inspiration, I had
to use them. I am sure that in whatever Happy Hunting Ground they now
reside, they will forgive this artistic license, and even smile upon
it." (page 196)

The above is from the author's note from a book published by Scholastic,
a major publisher of children's literature. The book is titled _My Heart
Is on the Ground: The Diary of Nannie Little Rose, A Sioux Girl_. It is
part of a series Scholastic does, called "Dear America." It currently
has ten or so books in the series, all historical fiction, but this is
the first "Native" title in the series.

The "diary" itself says that once at the school, children did not want
to return home. In one entry, Spotted Tail wants to take his children
back home, but has to drag one of them to the wagon. Those who returned
to Carlisle after summer vacation were glad to be back, saying they
missed their beds and that their friends back home were strange. There
are issues with authenticity also - her protagonist, a 12 year old, says
upon the death of the first child, that she is sure the children
gathered at the funeral want to "tear their garments, cut their hair,
cover themselves with mud, and slash at their arms" but instead stood
quietly. "No fearful wails, but songs of praise to him who giv-eth and
him who tak-eth life."

I could go on and on about the many insensitive and inaccurate events
described throughout the book, but rather than that, I'd like to point
out the appropriation of children's names to suit this woman's end. It
is the utter lack of concern or realization that those children were
people who suffered and died there, away from their families, that
bothers me most about the story.

The book will sell well. This series is being snapped up by schools
across the country as teachers move toward supplementing historical
material with fiction to enhance understanding of the period. This book
will be read by many children, Native and others alike. It will NOT
contribute to understanding of Carlisle or what that was all about, and
factual errors in the book will likely go unnoticed (one glaring error
is that, according to the book, Sitting Bull is Cheyenne).

I am going to a conference in Madison Thursday, April 8th. The focus is
historical fiction, and I plan to discuss this book at length in a
break-out session set up to discuss this book series.

As I read the book, I compiled a list of questions, notes, comments. I
also noted the names of children Rinaldi "used" to tell her story, as
well as a list of names of visitors to the school and staff. Rather than
post my notes on the list, I am willing to share them with individuals
who are interested.

Too often, there is a tendency to dismiss children's literature because
it is for children. Children's books about Native Americans are my focus
because books are accorded a measure of authenticity that cartoons and
television is not. Children's books that contain stereotypical,
insensitive, inaccurate information about Native Americans puts all of
us at a disadvantage because those children grow up to be adults who
believe what they read in those books.

Please consider this particular book, and don't dismiss it because it is
a children's book. It needs our serious, collective attention.

Debbie Reese Department of Curriculum and Instruction College of
Education University of Illinois

---------------------
Johanna Halbeisen
Woodland Elementary School (preK-4)
80 Powder Mill Rd.
Southwick, MA 01077
johanna@massed.net

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