Joseph Bruchac

If there was ever a time to write a novel that encompasses the Iroquois legends of the Peacemaker, this is it for our generation. The book overlays a fairly simple plot (two boys separated by war) with a tapestry of story: both illustrating the role of learning from stories in Native culture, and allowing the main character time and space to work through his anger and grief. Beautifully written, sensitively delivered, and offering a message of hope to everyone, but especially people battered show more by trauma and sorrow.

Advanced Readers' copy provided by Edelweiss. show less

When the birds and animals start to argue about who is better - the creatures with wings, or those with teeth - the quarrel soon becomes serious enough that a war seems likely. Hoping to avert such a destructive eventuality, the leaders of the two factions, Bear and Crane, arrange for a game of stickball instead, with the losers agreeing to accept the punishment meted out by the victors. But when the birds and animals face off, Bat, who has teeth and wings, finds himself rejected by both show more sides. Is he too small to make a difference, in such a great game...?

The answer to that question forms the crux of this traditional tale, related to Joseph Bruchac by Muskogee elder, Louis Littlecoon Oliver. "Sometimes even the smallest ones can help," says Bear at one point, and the aid that Bat provides to the team that finally agrees to give him a chance, proves decisive. In addition to emphasizing the idea that everyone, regardless of size, has a valuable contribution to make, The Great Ball Game is a pourquoi tale, explaining the yearly migration of the birds.

Folklore enthusiasts will undoubtedly recognize this tale type, which can also be found in the Cherokee tradition, and has been retold in picture-book form, as The Great Ball Game of the Birds and Animals. This retelling of the Muskogee variant has a simple but engaging narrative, and although Susan L. Roth's collage illustrations didn't greatly appeal to me - artists like David Wisniewski do a much better job at this sort of thing, I think - I still recommend it to young readers, both as a fun story, and as an enlightening glimpse into the Native American tradition of using sport as an alternative to out-and-out warfare. show less

This book grabbed me from the first line – I remember that hoping that if I lay still, and didn't open my eyes, I wouldn't have to leave a dream to face real life. In this case, Jamie doesn't want to leave her dream of spending time with her beloved grandmother who has recently died. She remembers times she spent with Grama Bowman in different seasons, picking berries in the summer, cutting birch bar in the spring, tasting maple sap in the winter, and singing songs in the autumn. At the show more end of the story, Jamie revisits a favourite spot, and sings the song her grandmother taught her. In a moment of wonder, the elusive fox comes to listen to her song, and Jamie realises that her Grama will always be with her. I found this final scene breathtaking – I was delighted that Jamie's memories of her Grama would always ring her joy.
This book gently shows the feelings a child may experience at the death of a loved one, I would gladly give it to such a child. It weaves these feelings into the pattern of changing seasons, cycles of nature, and the passing of knowledge from one generation to another. The pictures not only capture the faces of the characters, but the different qualities of light in each different season, marking the circle of time. show less

Malian was visiting her grandparents on their Wabanaki reservation when the pandemic caused everything to shut down, stranding her there and her parents in Boston. Malian does her best to participate in remote learning, but internet is unreliable on the reservation. She misses her parents but is mostly glad to be with her grandparents, hearing their stories and helping them. And a friendly dog who Malian calls Malsum (the word for wolf) shows up to protect them, knowing instinctively who is show more friend and who presents a danger.

This novel in verse is a perfect time capsule of the early pandemic days, as well as an introduction to Wabanaki history and present-day life - which Malian shares with her teacher and classmates.

"No one should feel guilty
about the past. Unless
they're not doing
anything about the present.
That's what
my grandparents say.
Think about what we
are doing now and how
it will affect the world
seven generations from today,
and not just in the next election." (175) show less