The Birchbark House

Although I am from a different Nation, it is wonderful to read stories about another Native Nation from Turtle Island! Miss Erdrich is an excellent story teller, and I am so glad that I have found her books. if I could give more than five stars, I'd give this book ten stars! Thank you so much for sharing your talent with us!❤❤

As a fourth grade student, I gobbled up The Little House on the Prairie series one summer. I loved the rich storytelling of days gone by, could hear Pa's fiddle playing and the click of Ma's needles, and longed to taste the first taste of sugar snow when the family tapped the trees for their maple secrets hidden within.Louise Erdrich has given a new generation of readers much of these same reading experiences, but has managed to tell it in the voice of a non-"chimookoman," or white person. No, this eight year old narrator is vastly different from Laura.Omakayas, or Little Frog, has a family similar to the Ingalls': -Mama, her hardworking and resourceful mother -Deydey, her strict, often traveling father -Nokomis, her loving, healer of a grandmother -Angeline, her beautiful and seemingly perfect older sister, -Pinch, her annoying younger brother -Neewo, or "fourth," her baby brother whom she adores -loads of aunts, uncles, cousins -Old Tallow, a neighboring old woman who has an inexplicable soft spot for Omakayas -Andeg, the tamed crowThis is a story, much like Laura's, of hard work, of self-sacrificing for the greater good of community and family, of long days put in so that the community and family can survive during the lean winter months and of stories told by the elders that teach, inform, and mold the younger set.I'm surprised to say that this story is so much richer than Laura's, though. While it is the TRUE story of the westward expansion our history books are only beginning to scratch the surface with, the complexity of the story and how it was woven in a cyclical manner makes The Birchbark House THE story I will turn to when my students are looking for a story about life in the mid-1800's in the U.S.I only wish I'd had this series of historically accurate tales to turn to when I was ten; however, I can rest knowing that at least this generation will have them to love.HIGHLY recommended!*Many thanks to Kate Olson, librarian extraordinaire and reviewer of all books ever printed, for pointing me in the right direction with this one.*Now I'm off to read the rest in this series!"West is where the spirits of the dead walk. If the whites keep chasing us west, we'll end up in the land of the spirits.""I have dreamed that's where they want us to go, anyway," said Albert. "That will please them.""They are like greedy children. Nothing will ever please them for long," said Deydey..."Not until they have it all," said Fishtail. "All of our lands. Our wild-rice beds, hunting grounds, fishing streams, gardens. Not even when we are gone and they have the bones of our loved ones will they be pleased. I have thought about this."

This book was on the summer reading list for my daughter who's entering seventh grade. I try to read her assignment books, because she can be a reluctant reader of books the school requires her to read. And sure enough, it was like pulling teeth to make her keep up with her daily reading schedule. I, on the other hand, was drawn into the story from the prologue. The story is set around the Anishinabeg tribe through the voice of Omakayas, a young girl of seven winters. As the story begins, we are introduced to Omakayas and her family who during winter live in a cabin at the edge of LaPointe. LaPointe is an island in Lake Superior that her people call Moningwanaykaning, Island of the Golden-Breasted Woodpecker. Through the eyes of Omakayas, we are taken on a journey through a year in her family's life. The author makes a point to include many words from the Ojibwa native language, originally a spoken language, to bring the reader closer to the daily life of this family. The author paints a verbal picture of this part of Minnesota, from it's wildlife to it's people. It is not until later in the story, after the reader is well-acquainted with the family, that we learn the year is 1847. This is a time very significant in our Native-American and American history, and Ms. Erdrich cleverly draws the reader in. While it is clear that this is a time of transition for Native-Americans, and that they have their suspicions of the white settlers, the author tells the story without taking sides. Clearly, the focus is the family, their village, and how changing circumstances are beginning to alter the way of life of the American natives. Ultimately, there are sad moments, as with any family. It is that the story is so engrossing, and heartfelt that my daughter claims as reason for her resistance with wanting to continue to read. But, not only does she continue to read, she notices details that even I miss. That is the beauty of sharing this book with my daughter. We had some great discussions about the family, and Omakayas' way of life in vast contrast to our own. My daughter insists on rating the book a solid 4 stars, because it made her feel too much. As for me, I give it 5 stars, so together that's a solid 4.5 in my book. Ain't reading grand!

This book was recommended to me after I lamented some of the racist content in the Little House on the Prairie books (which I also love, but I made sure to help my kids understand the times in which they were both set and written). If you like the detailed look at what the seasons of prairie life are like in those books, this book was a great additional perspective.SPOILER ALERT: There's some fantastic humor in bits, some suspenseful stuff, and also some great sadness. My sensitive 5 year old burst into tears when the baby brother died from smallpox. There were also a few sentences/sections I skipped over when reading to my almost-7 and 5.5-year old. They were probably a little too young for the book, but not too young to really enjoy it anyway! I really wanted to give them this perspective, so they dealt with a bit of grief that I may not have initially exposed them to by choice. There's also some really poetic text that I'm sure they didn't fully get, but I'm glad they got exposed to it.Also, heads up, tobacco is mentioned often. Be prepared to speak to this. :)Overall, it was a great book, and I hope we'll be reading it again in a couple of years, when they might get even more out of it.Note: There is a glossary in the back for some of the native words, and I think it also provides a pronunciation guide. I didn't realize this until halfway through the book, so I just kind of guessed on pronunciation and used context clues for the meanings. :)

So I'm quite enjoying this book. But the reason I got it was because my 6 year old absolutely loves the little house on the prairie series and I wanted to get her something to show her that the Indians/ Native Americans were nice people with a rich culture, and not just scary people who want to massacre europeans.This is not the Indian equivalent of little house though. It starts off with a scene where everyone but a baby dies of smallpox. There's then a scene where the 6/7 year old protagonist is left in charge of her baby brother, and she takes him out of his cradle board,which we are told no-one is allowed to do, and plays with him by a river. No-one finds out about this and it is seen as a good thing because it is their little secret. Not a lesson I want my 6 year old to learn. Then her father tells a terrifying story about some cannibal ghosts who try to eat him and his friends in the middle of the night.I also find it a bit tedious that there is so much native American language in it, and an assumption that everyone should know what they're talking about. I mean as an adult it's interesting. There is a little dictionary at the back where you can look up the words, but as a 6 year old, having to be continually looking up words you don't understand is just a non-starter Having said that, if you were a native American, or even a non-native north american, then this might be enjoyable or serve a purpose.So all in all, like I said, I'm enjoying it. But I would say that the 9-10 year recommendation that this book comes with is definitely one you should pay heed to. I'm very glad I decided to read it first before reading to my daughter. I'm struggling to know what age to recommend it to. The writing is too young for a 12-13 year old, but I think the content is too adult for younger kids.

I bought this book hoping to read it to my class of third graders to help teach them about the life of First Nations people during the 1800s... I got so much more than I bargained for.This book is beautiful. One of the most beautiful books I've ever read, and I've read tons. So tender, so moving, so rich in themes, human emotion, and life lessons, with so much culture captured seemingly effortlessly, such that I was fully transported into a world I knew very little about, and yet it felt so familiar it was like coming home.I'm not sure if I will end up using the book for a group of 8 year olds. The grief in it is so deep, pure, and profound that I'm not sure it could be adequately contained and processed in a large group environment. I will think on it though, and am hopeful to find a strategy to use it, because the story is so important. To give voice to this heartbreaking history, and to have it hit the heart so that hopefully future generations are more compassionate and loving - what better lesson can we pass on to our children?From a purely academic standpoint, it would be so effective at teaching about the culture without sounding like a textbook and boring kids because you just fall completely in love with this beautiful, strong main character and her lovely family. The love and loss and experience of both in the story arc is so universally accessible and undeniable, and would teach about LIFE, not just "history".For older students (grade 6+), this book would be PERFECT on multiple levels, and I have no hesitation recommending it highly. It should be mandatory reading, in fact. It is that good.I loved, loved, loved reading this book, devoured it in one sitting in 3.5 hours, and in such a short time, it opened, broke, and healed my heart, and has left a mark on my soul.Purchase one for yourself, for your local school library, and for every 12+ year old's birthday you're invited to in the next year - it won't disappoint.

Beautiful and heartbreaking. An honest and clear view into early life in the America's from an indigenous perspective.

Spezielles Buch, nicht für jeden.Man muss schon eine gewisse Liebe mitbringen für die Ureinwohners Amerikas.Sonst vielleicht nicht allgemein genug.

it's an interesting and really good book, easy ot read. It gives us a good insight into the Native Americans' lives.