Native Americana

Plains Cree artist and illustrator George Littlechild presents seventeen striking paintings in this tall picture-book, each one accompanied by a reminiscence from his personal or familial life, or from the historical experiences of his people, and the native peoples of North America. His reflections address such things as the beauty of the buffalo, the importance of his ancestors, the pain of urban native people, the trauma of residential school, and historical incidents such as the Battle of the Little Big Horn and Columbus' first landing in the western hemisphere...

I sought out This Land Is My Land after reading and enjoying Richard Van Camp's picture-books, A Man Called Raven and What's the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses?, both illustrated by George Littlechild, and wanting to see more of the artist's work. Vibrantly colorful, powerfully composed, these paintings are engrossing, drawing and keeping the attention of the reader. I appreciated the explanations offered, in each reminiscence, for the symbolism in the accompanying illustration, and I valued the insight into the Native American/First Nations experience that the book offered as a whole. The only discordant note for me, was the titular "This Land Is My Land" spread, which is a response to Woodie Guthrie's famous song, This Land Is Your Land. Here, I think Littlechild gets it wrong, arguing that the song is about ownership, when I think it is just the opposite: it's about the country belonging to everyone, rather than to individuals. Leaving that one issue aside, I enjoyed this book wholeheartedly, although I'm not sure to whom I would recommend it. It's rather text heavy, and it is not a story, so much as a series of anecdotes and reflections, so many younger children may find it less than appealing. Perhaps older picture-book audiences, looking for Native American/First Nations content would find it interesting. ( )

Littlechild, G. (1993). This land is my land. San Francisco: Children’s Book Press.

In this picture book, author and illustrator George Littlechild shares with the reader stories of his Native American heritage and ancestors through words and pictures. Each story is accompanied by a full page, glossy illustration. Each illustration relates to the story being told and portrays different aspects of the story. In addition to sharing information about his ancestors and their stories, Littlechild explains the importance of each picture. Littlechild shares information about traditional dance and stories, the importance of elders in the community, and other aspects of Native American culture. Throughout the book, he also shares the struggles of being an up-and-coming Native American artist in the 21st century. This 31 page book received the National Parenting Gold Award and is the winner of the Jane Adam’s Children’s Book Award.

Librarians can use this book with children to introduce them to first hand stories of Native American culture. The illustrations are large, colorful, and vivid, which makes them perfect for sharing Native American art with young children. As a small group activity, children could break into groups and select a story and illustration from the book. Each group could then share the story to the other groups and explain the importance of the illustration. In a school setting, this book could be used in art classes as an example of Native American art. This book would also be great for a reading class were the students are learning about Native American myths and storytelling. ( )