This is a Native American legend of what happens when we die It is about a grandmother who is very old, ill and dying. The story is a beautiful way to explain death. The lines of the illustrations give the story depth. The colors are neutral and show how beautiful the landscape is. ( )

A Plains Indian grandmother leaves this earthly life and journeys to the Spirit World beyond.

When I read this story I was getting mix feelings about it. At first, is that it is a great story to introduce Native American cultural. I The illustrations on the novel are fantastic. It is filled with lots of colors. As well, It depicts the traditions, clothing, homes, and animals during the time of Native Americans. This would be a helpful book to show students the environment this cultural lived in. Furthermore, the language of the story is pretty interesting because it is told as a prayer to the dead grandmother. Why I didn't like the book is that at first I did not know it was told in a prayer way that it was jumping around the story, consistent one minute and next page its random. Other than that this book can be used in the classroom to express culture and to have children build connects of family deaths. It also creates a world of imagination with the cool art. I would recommend this book to be 3-5th grade. ( )

BEYOND THE RIDGE, written and illustrated by Paul Goble, is a picture book that is based on the customs and beliefs of the Plains Indian people regarding death and the after-life. The story follows an elderly woman who is dying and is called away from this world by the distant voice of her deceased mother. The voice leads her farther from her tipi where her family is mourning her death, towards a ridge. Once she has reached the top, the woman peers out over a land more beautiful than anything she has seen before. Intermingled with this story are pages of italicized text that are, as the author explains, words "spoken by Indian people". These particular pages of the book are very eloquent, and explain a bit more deeply how the Plains Indians view death, or rather, a "change of worlds". I liked the way Goble focused on the journey of the old woman but also returned to the mourning family and described their emotions during this time. It sends the message that it is ok to be sad and full of emotions when someone dies. But also that death is natural and we need to accept that. The illustrations for this book, done in watercolor and ink, are interesting because they are very detailed in all aspects but one. When it comes to the people's faces, Goble leaves them almost completely featureless and without expression. In his author's note, he implies that his purpose for doing this is to allow the reader to imagine their own "personality" for the characters. Although the vocabulary in this book is rather simple, I would use it in a slightly older classroom, perhaps second or third grade, because of the subject matter and discussion that should follow this reading. Although the topic of death is sad, it is something important to talk about with kids because they will all experience it at some point in their lives, if they haven't already. This book depicts death as happening at the end of a long life, but it is also important to talk to students about how this isn't always the case. Then, on a lighter note, I could turn to the subject of Native American traditions and beliefs. I could ask students about any traditions or beliefs that they and their families may have that are similar or different to those described in the book. ( )