The Story of Yellow Leaf: Journal of a Sioux Girl - Hardcover

Mortimer, Gavin

3.38

8 ratings by Goodreads

9780764161094: The Story of Yellow Leaf: Journal of a Sioux Girl

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0764161091 ISBN 13: 9780764161094

Publisher: B E S Pub Co, 2008

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In a compelling story and a series of elaborate illustrations on two-page spreads, a young Sioux girl tells about life on the Dakota grasslands during the 1860s and '70s. Her name, Yellow Leaf, was given to her because she was born in autumn, when the trees were bright with yellow leaves. All of the large color illustrations are embellished with flaps for young readers to lift and see, for instance--

Family life inside a tipi (or wigwam)

A Sioux boy learning to hunt with bow and arrow

Yellow Leaf and her sister sledding down a snowy slope

White prospectors panning for gold on land belonging to the Sioux

Young readers learn about everyday activities in the Sioux camp, and find out how the Sioux' lives were disrupted by white settlers between 1874 and 1876. The story ends on an elegiac note, following the Sioux victory over General Custer at Little Big Horn. The military disaster prompted the U.S. Government to force the Sioux out of their home territory and onto agencies--or reservations. But before their departure, Yellow Leaf and her brother leave their mark on their land by carving their family history on a large rock.

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From School Library Journal:

Grade 3–5—Part pop-up, part lift-the-flap, part faux journal, this gimmicky title proves only mildly educational. Yellow Leaf is a member of the Sioux Tribe living on the Great Plains of South Dakota in the 1860s. Through first-person "journal entries," she describes her tribe's way of life and apparent demise. While the book attempts to present accurate information about the Sioux people in a respectful way (avoiding, for example, stereotypical terms), the format itself seems disrespectful. It is hard to imagine a real Sioux girl writing something that reads like a pseudo-history lesson and the packaging is arguably more of a toy than a book. The ending criticizes the American government's unfair treatment of Native Americans, but it also gives the false impression that the Sioux tribe is stuck in history, forever a defeated people. For a list of culturally sensitive books vetted by Native Americans, visit www.oyate.org.—Madeline Walton-Hadlock, San Jose Public Library, CA
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