While this was an informative book about an important topic and an even more important culture, the discussion of what the mounds were for never materialized! I realize that is because WE DON"T KNOW, so the author could not presume to know either, but it was a bit of a let down. I was also disappointed that the importance of women in Native American culture was downplayed and viewed through what seemed to be a patriarchal lens. However, the illustrations and events were educational and will interest children, as well as open the door to deeper discussions about Native American peoples and the similarities and differences . between different tribes as well as to the people who populate the same areas of the USA today. ( )

While this book is not the best I have ever read, I did like it. I liked the illustrations/the picture the author used, and that the author stated as many facts as she could, but the plot skipped around at certain points. The illustrations really stood out to me in this book because they not only took up the whole page, but this also allowed them to be very detailed with many small details that draw the reader's eye, showing the reader every detail that make this book unique. One clear example of this is that one image shows all of the fathers coming home from the hunt with many different animals, and the women preparing to cook them. You can clearly see each piece of fur on the rabbits and how to fire crackles in the campfire. The second reason I really liked this book was that that author told the reader many facts that were not only interesting, but were new and short to the point. A clear example of this is that the author explained what a spirit animal was, and why the young boy received his hawk necklace; he sounded the alarm when he saw warriors coming for him, so he had good eye sight. While these were the reasons I liked the book, I did not like how the plot skipped from page to page with only minimal explanation about what the mounds of dirt were, which the whole point of this book was. A great example of this is after they are assigned to go on the trip to the great city; the next page just skips many weeks and does not explain what they took, even though it is assumed later on they had many things that you just never see. The author does not explain what the mounds are more than just a few sentences, and talks more about the culture and how some of mechanics of the city work. The main message of this story is that many cultures have similar ideas, like a graveyard and city hall/ city market place, so we can all connect to each other. ( )