Details
Synopsis
An alphabet book that also stresses nature appreciation. A young Native American girl named Looks Within joins a spiritual elder, Wisdom Keeper, as she takes a mediative walk, reflecting on how the goodness of nature corresponds to each letter of the alphabet. For example: A is for "Animal Helper", I is for "Incense", M is for "Medicine Wheel", and so on. Acrylic paintings illustrate the lyrical text.
| Size | | Height: | 11.0 in | | Width: | 9.0 in | | Thickness: | 0.2 in | | Weight: | 14.4 oz |
Publisher's Notes
First Line: ""Looks Within sat by the stream in the warm afternoon sunshine. She had finished her chores for the day and was busy making animal shapes from the damp clay.""
Industry Reviews
Gr 2-5 A quiet masterpiece. A young Indian girl, Looks Within, begins a spiritual journey guided by Wisdom Keeper. The older woman teaches by bringing attention to things in nature that correspond to each letter of the alphabet. Dragonflies with light shining on their wings remind her of the light from the Creator. Lizard protects people from harm by dragging his tail on the ground to erase footsteps. The letter X, tricky for all alphabet books, symbolizes a crossroads where choices must be made. Unique in bringing Indian women and girls front and center, this amazing work combines spiritual lessons, narrative, and vibrant artwork. Bold acrylics, flooded with color, form, simplicity, and subtlety, fill each page. Stroud, of Cherokee-Creek birth, draws also on the Kiowa traditions in her adopted family. In a prefatory note, she suggests that the philosophy shared by all Indian peoples is available to everyone. The path of the quiet elk "...is not a place, but a way of learning to look at life." Byrd Baylor's poetic Desert Voices (1981) and I'm in Charge of Celebrations (1986, both Scribners) compare to this title in heart, but The Path of the Quiet Elk is one-of-a-kind. It looks like an easy picture book, but offers readers something much deeper. Jacqueline Elsner, Athens Regional Library, GA
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