Sally M. Hunter

SUMMARY: This book gave the history of the Winnebago Native Americans celebrating the corn that they grew through telling the story of Russell, a twelve year old boy from present day. It goes back and forth between information and what Russell does to celebrate now with his family.

REVIEW: The central message is to inform and compare and contrast from the past to the present. I liked how it the book talked about Russell and how his family celebrates. The photographs helped further show more understanding. Also, had Hochunk words and translations. show less

I'm not a children's librarian, but all I can say is I don't feel any urge to buy this for my grandkids. The story is pretty short (30 pages including big pictures)yet the sentence structure & concepts are geared for older children--who would probably be bored by the story but might accept it as a social studies assignment. Basically portrays the 7th grader as just another kid, who loves soccer & does what's expected of him--which includes helping his grandparents plant & harvest a patch of show more corn. There is mention of the traditional of rotating plots of land to renew the soil between corn crops, so there is some ag science taught. show less