Horse Raid – Multicultural Children’s Book Day

 

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January 27, 2015

Today I am a book reviewer for the Multicultural Children’s Book Day. It was founded “to spread the word and raise awareness about the importance of diversity in children’s literature.” Please check out the resources and websites listed at the end of my review.

Horse Raid 9781937786250_p0_v2_s260x420Horse Raid: The Making of a Warrior

Paul Goble, Author and Illustrator

Wisdom Tales Press, Fiction, June 2014

Pages: 44 hardcover

Finalist: Best Books Award 2014

Suitable for Ages: 6 and up

Themes: Native Americans of the plains, Horse raids, Culture, Coming of age, Warriors, Multicultural

Opening: “Be patient, my son, there is no hurry; the horses of our enemies, the Crows, will not walk away. They will be there next summer and the summer after.” My father’s answer was the same whenever I asked if I could go with the warriors to capture horses.

Publisher Synopsis: Young Lone Bull dreamed of becoming a warrior. For the tribes of the American plains in the Buffalo Days of pre-reservation life, horse raiding was a chance for men to show their courage and bravery in battle. But Lone Bull’s father had just refused to let him join the horse raid! How could he become a warrior if he remained at home? With the help of his grandfather, Lone Bull sneaks off to follow the other warriors. But will it all end in disaster?

What I like about this book:

  • It is written and illustrated by master storyteller Paul Goble, who has been drawn to the history, spirituality, culture and tales of Native Americans since he was a young child.
  • This new edition of Goble’s Lone Bull’s Horse Raid, was first published in 1973.  It features digitally enhanced artwork, completely revised text, and a new appealing layout.  You will want to spend time pouring over the intricate detail in of Goble’s signature illustrations rendered in earth tones. Goble’s use of white space adds to the simplicity and elegance of his colorful artwork.
  • This timeless coming-of-age story about a 14-year-old Sioux boy eager to become a warrior, will capture the hearts and imaginations of both children and adults alike. It is a rich experience of what life is like for a boy living on a reservation on the plains and what it takes to survive.
  • Horse Raid is a powerful and exciting tale right from the start. The narrative imparts a wealth of historical information and detail for those thirsty for folktales about Native Americans living on the plains. For instance I didn’t know that horse raids were the cause for most wars and served an honorable purpose among the different tribes.
  • The plot is engaging and packed with tension and action. Great pacing keeps readers in suspense throughout the story — especially during the horse raid.
  • The characters are well-developed. Lone Bull is an eager and determined boy who wants to prove his bravery and earn a place among his tribe.
  • I would classify this book as a chapter book, but it is an excellent book for parents and children to read and discuss together.

Horse RaidGoble 2

Resources: Make sure you read the Forward by Joseph Bruchac and the Author’s Note, which prepares the reader for horse raiding and its role among Native American tribes. Lone Bull was a Sioux Indian living on the Great Plains. Ask children if they lived with Lone Bull how would they hunt for food? What kind of home would they live in? What name would they choose for themselves? What would they name their horse? What brave thing could they do?  Have them draw pictures of themselves, and their horses, homes and village.  Educators may want to visit some of the following websites: Native American Indians Themes, Lessons, Printables and Teaching Ideas and American Indian Heritage Teaching Resources (Smithsonian Education).

Paul Goble is an award-winning author and illustrator of over 40 children’s books. He has created an outstanding body of work including his book, The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses, which won the prestigious Caldecott Medal, as well as Buffalo Woman, and Mystic Horse.

Joseph Bruchac is best known for his work as a Native writer and storyteller, with more than 120 books and many awards to his credit

Here are some ways you can help us celebrate Multicultural Children’s Book Day: 

  • Visit The Multicultural Children’s Book Day website (click on Blog) and view the book lists, reading resources and other useful multicultural information.
  • Visit the Multicultural Books for Kids Pinterest Board for more reading ideas.
  • Have children bring in their favorite multicultural book to school on this day and share it with the class.
  • Watch for the #ReadYourWorld hashtag on social media and share. They are hosting a Twitter party! Join them on Jan 27th 9:00pm EST. Use hashtag: #ReadYourWorld to win 10 book packages.
  • Visit the Diversity Book Lists and Resources for Educators and Parents on their website.
  • Visit MCCBD sponsors. You can find them HERE
  • Connect with them on their new Facebook and Twitter  pages.

MCCBD’s 2015 Sponsors include Platinum Sponsors: Wisdom Tales Press, Daybreak Press Global Bookshop, Gold Sponsors: Satya House, MulticulturalKids.com, Author Stephen Hodges and the Magic Poof, Silver Sponsors: Junior Library Guild, Capstone Publishing, Lee and Low Books, The Omnibus Publishing. Bronze Sponsors:Double Dutch Dolls, Bliss Group Books, Snuggle with Picture Books Publishing, Rainbow Books, Author FeliciaCapers, Chronicle Books Muslim Writers Publishing ,East West Discovery Press.

I received my copy of this book from the publisher Wisdom Tales Press. This review reflects my own honest opinion about the book.

About Patricia Tiltonhttps://childrensbooksheal.wordpress.comI want "Children's Books Heal" to be a resource for parents, grandparents, teachers and school counselors. My goal is to share books on a wide range of topics that have a healing impact on children who are facing challenges in their lives. If you are looking for good books on grief, autism, visual and hearing impairments, special needs, diversity, bullying, military families and social justice issues, you've come to the right place. I also share books that encourage art, imagination and creativity. I am always searching for those special gems to share with you. If you have a suggestion, please let me know.

28 thoughts on “Horse Raid – Multicultural Children’s Book Day”

    • Thanks Robyn. I was really excited about this book because it is such an authentic portrayal of the Native American viewpoint. Boys will love the story, but I think girls would too. One of my favorite movies remains “Dances with Wolves.”

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  10. Happy Multicultural Children’s Book Day. Thanks so much for your wonderful review and for celebrating with us.
    /Valarie

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    • Happy Multicultural Children’s Book Day to you! It has been quite a celebration and there are so many books for me to look up and review. I enjoyed the book I reviewed a lot. Paul Goble is quite the storyteller and artist.

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  11. I am such a dolt! I don’t get your blog updates in my email for some reason and so I keep refreshing the page of what I thought was your home page but as it turns out, it was on the page of that book about bullying so I’ve been missing your posts.

    I don’t know how it finally occurred to me to double-check today but I’m glad I did. I guess I won’t be getting any genius awards any time soon! :}

    I am very interested in the plight of and stories about Native Americans as are a number of my friends so thank you for this recommendation! I will be sure to check it out. AND I will also be sure to make sure I’m refreshing the home page. 🙂

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    • Not to worry. You made me giggle. I’ve done the same thing. I’ve found that if someone likes my review and I see the star above, than I can hit the + sign by the person’s name and they appear in my reader. That’s how I got your blog to appear in my WP reader.

      Glad you enjoyed my review. I was so thrilled to read and review this book. It is a memorable book.

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      • I just signed up for blog posts via email. I had thought clicking on the “Follow” icon at the top WP bar would do it, but it obviously didn’t. 🙂 I can never tell with WP. Yay…I won’t miss future posts now!

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  13. Pingback: MCCBD Recap and Some Really BIG Thank YOUS! - Multicultural Children's Book Day

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