Sheila Keenan

Adapted for teen readers from the 2019 original, Treuer’s seminal account offers a fresh, distinct historical reconsideration.

The author’s purpose is clear from the outset: to present a deliberate counternarrative to mainstream assumptions and push back against the constrictive specter of the framing of the Wounded Knee massacre of 1890 as a turning point representing the end of Native American cultures. In seven chapters spanning prehistorical times to the present, this chronicle of Indigenous communities and peoples in North America is a scintillating version reduced in length but not breadth. Beginning with a brief overview of the pre-colonization period and the ensuing violent disruptions of the Europeans, the opening chapter also covers Indigenous resistance. The next chapter depicts the role of the U.S. government in an ever increasing, violent push for assimilation via boarding schools and the Dawes Act. The further the book goes into the 20th century and the rise of Native American social action in the 1960s and 1970s, such as through the American Indian Movement, the more Treuer includes firsthand stories from his research interviews. These accounts clearly delineate the ties between the continued impact of the past and the possibilities for a viable, hard-fought future for Native American lives. This essential work ends with a review of the Standing Rock protest and its potential and asks the fundamental, yet-to-be-answered question: “What kind of country do we want to be?”

Utterly vital in its historical prowess, essential in its portraits of lived experiences. (notes, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

-Kirkus Review… (more)

Crows are a really common neighborhood and city bird, and one that children and adults can easily observe together, so this realistic picture book showing crow behavior around urban/suburban humans and human environments fills a useful niche. Narrating from the perspective a crow, the author depicts small group interactions and also the winter 'crow invasion' that brings large groups of crows into cities and towns to roost together. (That depiction of the 'crow invasion' may be a little scary for younger kids who haven't experienced it yet, so the reader may need to remind them that roosting is only for the winter!) The illustrations are excellent, and the rhyming is solid, though typography on some pages, designed to mimic the birds' movement, may be a stumbling block for easy read-aloud.
Grab this book and read it with a kid you've watched crows in the fast food parking lot with!… (more)

Source: Booklist
Age Range: 8-12
Evaluation of Quality: This beautifully illustrated graphic novel has three vignettes about war dogs from three different wars: World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War.
Assessment of potential use: This book would be a great suggestion for dog-loving children or for those wanting stories about dogs with jobs.
Assessment of appeal to children: Children will love the traditional comic book style of art and the action packed, but not graphic, scenes.… (more)