This is a fictional, multicultural book. The art is painted using mainly neutral colors. The content in this book is about an Indian tribe and how they love everything in nature and become part of the earth. I think the reading level of this book s second or third grade, whenever they start learning about indians. The curricular connections are; history, cultures, indians, tribes, nature, mother earth, and family. ( )

Tries too hard to be organic/natural in its plea for environmental friendliness. It's almost as if the author wanted to write a book about saving the planet's resources and thought that having it told by a Native American would make the message more powerful. Further burdening this book are the controversies regarding the transcripts of Chief Seattle's speech, the accuracy of the cover and other illustrations, as well as the manner in which people are depicted. ( )

This is a fictional story based on real events and speeches. This book is the story of Chief Seattle at treaty negotiations in the 1850s. It has beautiful crosshatching illustrations done in pen and colored ink. The illustrations were done from photographs. The book is based on a speech about how Indians do not believe that man can own land, but how man belongs to the earth. The chief talks about how the settlers need to preserve the land so that everyone after them can enjoy the same things the earthg gave to them. The reading level of this book is from third to fifth grade. It is a great way to reinforce history lessons on the Indians. Some cirricular connections could be Indians of North America, land tenure, crosshatching illustrations, and history.

“My mother told me, every part of this earth is sacred to our people,” Jeffers paraphrases the words she believes to have been spoken by Chief Seattle. In his speech, supposedly given over one hundred years ago, Chief Seattle speaks of the Native American connection with the earth, specifically mentioning animals, trees, and the river. He warns that the white man can not afford to let those resources be dwindled and misused. (Description)
The text creates a solemn mood that complements the beautiful illustrations. Jeffers uses a mixture of romantic and realistic media, with colors that are meant to reflect different Native American nations across time. For most readers, the art work’s depiction of Native Americans would be accurate; however, that the pictures don’t concur with correct representations of the intended Indian Nations. Regardless of any controversy, the appealing illustrations and poetic text deliver the intended message of environmental awareness, and conservation when it states “The earth does not belong to us. We belong to the earth." The large size of the book showcase the illustrations well, and the cover is enticing because it merges the past, the illustration of Seattle, with that of a modern child. Valuable addition to any Native American collection. (Evaluation)
Winner of the 1992 ABBY and a Parents' Choice Award. 1991, Dial, $16.99 and $14.89. Ages 6 up.
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Jeffers, Susan (1991). Brother Eagle, Sister Sky. Dial Books
(Description)
“How can you buy the sky? How can you own the rain and the wind?” These are the some of the questions a Suquamish Indian chief asks to show the belief of Native Americans that this earth and every creature on it is sacred. This is an adapted story of a speech given by Chief Seattle at treaty negotiations in the 1850s. Using her own paintings, Ms. Jeffers shows Native Americans living in harmony with nature and their desire to keep it that way. Jeffers attempts to reinforce the ‘save our environment theme’ on the last page by showing a white family replanting trees on the barren land where trees have been stripped for their lumber. Historic Realistic Fiction for Ages 5-9. Winner of the 1992 ABBY Award.

(Analysis)
Jeffers’ use of her paintings works as a way of demonstrating the beauty of nature and the harmony one finds living in it. The combination of words and paintings balances the story being told. Younger children who can’t read can use the paintings to predict what the story is about. These same paintings invite the young adult and adult readers to follow the story from beginning to end.
(Evaluation)
Although Ms. Jeffers delivers a touching story and excellent paintings, the fact that she chose to tell a story about a speech given in a native Indian language a 100 years ago leaves doubt and speculation to the story’s ethnicity. One issue is her misled conception that the government was attempting to ‘buy’ the land from people who were not allowed within its boundaries. Her effort to show multicultural harmony is distorted by a picture of an Indian woman holding a cradle with no child and an Indian man raising his hands as if he is blessing the replanting of trees by a white that were cut down for lumber. ( )