Paul Morin

Author Alice McLerran and illustrator Paul Morin write and draw ‘The Ghost Dance.’ It is a children’s book about Native American tribes’ way of life being threatened by the Europeans who came to the lands and hoped to find peaceful solutions. Morin makes use of many items used in daily and ritual means as its pictures. There are also depictions of people dancing, in what is called the ghost dance. The ghost dance was a ritual that spread through the tribes and was intended as a form show more of nonviolent expression in spreading peace between them and the Europeans settlers. They hoped it could help them put a top to the destruction of the forests and pushing the animals of the land into extinction. But these dances were assumed to be a war dance by the Europeans. They attacked the tribes and continued destroying the land. McLerran tells how despite their misunderstandings the Native Americans still hope there can still be peace in the world. After going over what the theme in stories mean and represent, and reading this book as an example, the book can be used part of a lesson in having the children consider what they think the theme behind a story would be. show less

In the Everglades, a Florida panther searches for food to keep her strength up to nurse her kittens. The simple story of this picture book for primary students comes alive with Paul Morin's striking, vibrant illustrations of the lush vegetation and wildlife of the Florida Everglades. Jonathan London's concise free verse suggests the anticipation and secrecy of the scarce panther's mission. An educational postscript is above the reading level of the rest of the book, but teachers and parents show more will find it a helpful resource. This high-quality book is an admirable addition to a collection on endangered animals for primary-age children. show less

Animal Dreaming tells the story of the Australian Aboriginal people. The elders in the story interpret the story of the rock art left by their ancestors to tell Mirri about their history. Some of the themes that I saw in the story were that the earth has a place for each creature so if they work together they can all live in peace. We all leave our marks in different ways like how the aboriginal people of Australia left their heritage with rock art about Dreamtime and the creation of animals show more and the earth. It also emphasizes how important dreams are and reflecting on the dreams you have like the animals did when they were trying to bring peace to their community. Mirri learns about his ancestral heritage through tales from the ancient rock art from the aboriginal peoples and through the stories told by his elders. There is also a glossary at the beginning of this book for all the terms used to tell the story of the Aboriginal people that readers might not know. show less

I happened upon this children's book at the public library, and I'm glad I checked it out. It shared interesting facts about the crocodile, with really nice illustrations to acccompany the text.