Copyright Date:
2018
Edition Date:
2018
Release Date:
05/01/18
Illustrator:
Thunder, Jonathan,
Pages:
1 volume (unpaged)
ISBN:
Publisher: 1-681-34077-1 Perma-Bound: 0-7804-5318-2
ISBN 13:
Publisher: 978-1-681-34077-7 Perma-Bound: 978-0-7804-5318-0
Dewey:
497
LCCN:
2017058657
Dimensions:
26 cm.
Language:
Ojibwa
Bilingual:
Yes
Reviews:
ALA Booklist
(Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)
Itchy Boy is Windy Girl's dog: a lively and loyal companion who barks at everything. The inseparable pair enjoy spending time with Uncle, who drives them in his truck, takes them ice-fishing, and, despite Itchy's incessant barking, manages to tell Windy stories of his youth. Windy's favorite is about how the Native American powwow tradition has both survived and changed with the passage of time. One summer evening, a powwow continues late into the night, and the festivities and Itchy's persistent presence creep into Windy Girl's dream, where dogs replace humans in the celebration. Readers observe costumed canines marching as war veterans, participating in a drum circle, and dancing in an array of styles: traditional, grass dance, and fancy. Created by a Red Lake Ojibwe author and illustrator, this story offers accessible cultural insight, and an appended note adds important details to those provided in Windy's dream and corrects misconceptions. The story is written in English and Ojibwe, and its crisply colored digital-media illustrations add a contemporary feel.
Windy Girl is blessed with a vivid imagination. From Uncle she gathers stories of long-ago traditions, about dances and sharing and gratitude. Windy can tell such stories herself-about her dog, Itchy Boy, and the way he dances to request a treat and how he wriggles with joy in response to, well, just about everything. When Uncle and Windy Girl and Itchy Boy attend a powwow, Windy watches the dancers in their jingle dresses and listens to the singers. She eats tasty food and joins family and friends around the campfire. Later, Windy falls asleep under the stars. Now Uncle's stories inspire other visions in her head: a bowwow powwow, where all the dancers are dogs. In these magical scenes, Windy sees veterans in a Grand Entry, and a visiting drum group, and traditional dancers, grass dancers, and jingle-dress dancers-all with telltale ears and paws and tails. All celebrating in song and dance. All attesting to the wonder of the powwow. This playful story by Brenda Child is accompanied by a companion retelling in Ojibwe by Gordon Jourdain and brought to life by Jonathan Thunder's vibrant dreamscapes. The result is a powwow tale for the ages.