The Butterfly Dance
The Butterfly Dance
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Publisher's Hardcover ©2001--
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Abbeyville Publishers
Just the Series: Tales of the People   

Series and Publisher: Tales of the People   

Annotation: Because she is now twelve, Sihumana gets to join the other Hopi in performing the Butterfly Dance, helping to celebrate family and bring gentle rains for the flowers and plants.
 
Reviews: 1
Catalog Number: #4453166
Format: Publisher's Hardcover
Copyright Date: 2001
Edition Date: 2001 Release Date: 04/01/01
Pages: 29 pages
ISBN: 0-7892-0161-5
ISBN 13: 978-0-7892-0161-4
Dewey: E
LCCN: 99045051
Dimensions: 25 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
Horn Book (Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2007)

Joey is a fine farm horse sold for cavalry use in World War I. Through Joey's Black Beauty-esque narration, readers learn of the futility of cavalry against machine guns; the loss of Joey's companion, Topthorn; and Joey's reunion with the farm boy who loves him. At times deeply affecting, the story balances the horror with moments of respite and care.

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Horn Book (Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2007)
Reading Level: 3.0
Interest Level: 1-4
Excerpt from The Butterfly Dance

...After breakfast, it is time for my family to go with me to the village where the Butterfly Dance is held at the end of every summer.

Before I leave, my best friend, Sakwapumana, gives me sweet blue-corn snacks. "Just like your name, Sakwapumana!” I say, because Sakwapumana means Blue Corn Maiden.

"Have a good trip, Sihumana,” says Sakwapumana. "My family will not leave till later, but I will see you at the dance. We would not miss this special day!”

I say good-bye, and we start on our journey, which will take several hours.

As we walk to the village, Kwa’a tells me why we have the Butterfly Dance.

"When you dance, you celebrate our family and you celebrate the clouds that bring gentle rains. When you dance, Sihumana, you are like a butterfly that flies from flower to flower, helping them grow. You bring rain for the flowers and plants, and you make everyone happy.”

I tell Kwa’a it will be fun to be a butterfly!


Excerpted from The Butterfly Dance by Marty K. De Montano, Gerald Dawavendewa
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

With its bright, stylized illustrations and distinctive Native voice, this appealing book gives a vivid sense of stepping into another culture. It chronicles one important day seen through the eyes of a young Hopi girl named Sihumana, or Flower Maiden, who is a member of the Rabbit Clan and winningly portrayed as a rabbit. After going with her grandfather to greet the sun and bless the day, Sihumana travels with family to another village to take part in the traditional Butterfly Dance, performed late each summer in order to bring rain to the dry lands of the Southwest. The tale ends happily with the sound of rain on the roof and the promise of butterflies in the days to come. About the Tales of the People series Created with the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), Tales of the People is a series of children's books celebrating Native American culture with illustrations and stories by Indian artists and writers. In addition to the tales themselves, each book also offers four pages filled with information and photographs exploring various aspects of Native culture, including a glossary of words in different Indian languages.


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