Buffalo Before Breakfast

This is a very sweet story in the Magic Tree House series. Annie & Jack go to the Great Plains of the 1800s and meet a Lakota boy named Black Hawk and his wise and gentle grandmother. It's a nice glimpse into the life of the Lakota following the buffalo across the plains in the time before white settlers arrived. Which also makes it bittersweet since a culture and way of life were lost. Maybe the best Magic Tree House story I've read yet.

I really liked this book for a couple different reasons. The text features were how Jack would read some information about the Great Plains and then he would summarize that information in a notebook. They had handwriting in the book to show what he was summarizing. This helped relate actual history to this fictional story. For example the book had 2 sentences of history about the Great Plains. And then three lines below that in Jack’s handwriting it said “Great Plains- lots of land”. This helps give the students background knowledge when reading the book. I also really liked the book because the sentences were short. They were easy to read and kept me engaged the whole time. it kept the action moving and made the reader think show more “what next?” lastly, I liked that at the end of the book they went into further explanation about the legend of the White Buffalo Woman. This is a Lakota legend that has been passed down and after mentioning it in the book they put the legend at the end of the story for the students to read. Also there are more facts about the Lakota Indians, the Great Plains and how buffalo were such a great resources for the Native Americans. The big idea in this text was teaching students to be brave. Jack and Annie showed great bravery when going back to the Great Plains. This book also had themes of teamwork. Jack and Annie had to work together to help Black Hawk get away from the buffalo. This was a great book and it makes me want to read more of the Magic Tree House series. show less

In my opinion this is a stellar book. The author, Mary Pope Osborne creates a suspension filled plot that makes the book hard to put down. The book is filled with constant conflict and resolution. For example, “’What’s he doing?’ asked Jack. ‘Ah-ah-CHOO!’ Black Hawk sneezed. ‘Uh-oh,’ said Annie. The huge buffalo jerked its head up. It made a low, moaning sound. Then it pointed its horns and charged!” This conflict encourages the reader to keep reading and reading until a resolution is found. This type of writing is constant through out the story, which is one of the reasons why it is so great. Additionally, although this book is a chapter book, the author is sure to include illustrations of factual information. Because show more of the cross genre nature, sometimes children could be confused by the fantasy versus factual information. However, the author clears this up by often bolding any factual information or includes pictures of any factual information. A great example of this can be found on pages 54 and 55. The author includes an illustration of a circle of Indian sitting around a fire smoking a long pipe. This clarifies to the reader that this is something that Indians actually partook in. Additionally, the pictures also serve, as a break to the reader because this is typically a child’s first chapter book and the long stretches of the text can often be tiresome to the child. For these multiple reasons, this book is an excellent book. Overall, I think the main message of this book is to teach children small amounts of information about Indians in a medium that is appealing and fun to read. show less

I picked this book up expecting to feel brain cells dying as I read it. I was very wrong; I can see why my students enjoy this series so much. It's very well written (albeit extremely simplistic) and interesting. It was an extremely quick read and is educational, to boot!

The Magic Tree House books are always good to add a sense of adventure to a kid's reading. They also teach lessons throughout the book in almost hidden ways so it makes learning facts fun. This book, Jack and Annie go to the Great Plains and meet a Native American tribe and learn about their culture.

Jack and Annie head out to get an object from the Lakota Suix, which they manage after Jack finally stops being a total wimp for once. They save a boy after he shows off for them, and then spend the night (utually they leave the past after a couple of hours. Yes, the usual historical inaccuracies.

Buffalo Before Breakfast

Summary:

One morning Jack and Annie's dog appeared as their mother was cooking breakfast for them and their grandmother.Jack and Annie went to the tree house with the dog Teddy an were transported to the Great Plains, this is where they could find a gift from a prairie blue. Annie and Jack met a young Native American boy who took them to his tribe.While with the Lakota tribe Jack and Annie learned how they hunted, what the jobs for the boys and men were. They also learned that the women of the tribe made clothes and cooked while the men hunted. Annie and Jack were given a feather at a camp fire then the next morning Jack and Annie used the tree house to return home, where they hugged their grandmother.

Reaction:

I show more thought this was a good book, I remember reading the Magic Tree House series when I was in second grade. The setting was the Great Plains with the Lakota tribe. The character of Annie was brave and showed little fear, Jack was not as brave as Annie but impressed the grandmother with his horse skills. The book did a good job at showing how the Lakota tribe lived. How they hunted, as well as their beliefs before their land was taken by white settlers.

Extension Ideas:
1.The book can introduce students to a unit on Native Americans or the
Lakota tribe.
2.The book can show what the jobs of the men and women of the tribe were.
3.The book can teach students what the Native Americans did with the
different parts of the buffalo. show less