Product Description

"[In this] story of a young Ojibwa girl, Omakayas, living on an island in Lake Superior around 1847, Louise Erdrich is reversing the narrative perspective used in most children's stories about nineteenth-century Native Americans. Instead of looking out at 'them' as dangers or curiosities, Erdrich, drawing on her family's history, wants to tell about 'us', from the inside. The Birchbark House establishes its own ground, in the vicinity of Laura Ingalls Wilder's 'Little House' books." --The New York Times Book Review

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14211 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06-03
• Released on: 2002-05-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780786814541
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
Nineteenth-century American pioneer life was introduced to thousands of young readers by Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved Little House books. With The Birchbark House, award-winning author Louise Erdrich's first novel for young readers, this same slice of history is seen through the eyes of the spirited, 7-year-old Ojibwa girl Omakayas, or Little Frog, so named because her first step was a hop. The sole survivor of a smallpox epidemic on Spirit Island, Omakayas, then only a baby girl, was rescued by a fearless woman named Tallow and welcomed into an Ojibwa family on Lake Superior's Madeline Island, the Island of the Golden-Breasted Woodpecker. We follow Omakayas and her adopted family through a cycle of four seasons in 1847, including the winter, when a historically documented outbreak of smallpox overtook the island.

Readers will be riveted by the daily life of this Native American family, in which tanning moose hides, picking berries, and scaring crows from the cornfield are as commonplace as encounters with bear cubs and fireside ghost stories. Erdrich--a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwa--spoke to Ojibwa elders about the spirit and significance of Madeline Island, read letters from travelers, and even spent time with her own children on the island, observing their reactions to woods, stones, crayfish, bear, and deer. The author's softly hewn pencil drawings infuse life and authenticity to her poetic, exquisitely wrought narrative. Omakayas is an intense, strong, likable character to whom young readers will fully relate--from her mixed emotions about her siblings, to her discovery of her unique talents, to her devotion to her pet crow Andeg, to her budding understanding of death, life, and her role in the natural world. We look forward to reading more about this brave, intuitive girl--and wholeheartedly welcome Erdrich's future series to the canon of children's classics. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson

From Publishers Weekly
The author's first novel for children centers on young Omakayas and her Ojibwa family who live on an island in Lake Superior in 1847; PW's Best Books citation called it "captivating." Ages 9-up. (Aug.)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-The melody of a lone flute and the beat of a native drum begin each cassette, setting the mood for this Native American story about an eight-year old Ojibwa girl. Omakayas and her family live on the island of the Golden Breasted Woodpecker in Lake Superior in 1847. Based on her own family history, Louise Erdrich has crafted a richly textured historical novel (Hyperion, 1999). Nicolle Littrell's slow, clear narration is rich and inviting. Ojibwa words are smoothly woven into the narration, and their meaning is clear from context. Littrell gives voice to each well-developed character with varied vocal inflections. We observe a year's cycle of activity in her family and the Indian community. Eventually we learn about "the chimookoman" (the white man) as Omakayas overhears her father and his friends talking around the campfire. Although chimookoman lurks on the fringes of the story, he is central to the plot. A white man brings smallpox to the community and Omakayas can't save her baby brother. In this carefully crafted story, we intimately feel the effect of the Westward Expansion of the United States from the point of view of a loving Ojibwa family. Listeners who prefer action to descriptive narration will find the pace slow. The first of a projected series of books, this audiobook will be a fine addition to school and public libraries.
Bonnie Bolton, Cleveland Public Library, OH
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

A must-have addition to any child's library.
Any child who has read and loved such classics as the series, or will welcome the gift of this book. My 8-year old daughter declared it to be the best book she's ever read, and urged me to read it. I did, and I concur. It's a wonderful read, and one that I plan to buy as a gift for years to come. The heroine of this book is such a delight. The hundred-plus years that separate her from the modern reader melt away. Erdrich has done a powerful job of maintaining the historical accuracy of this book while making her characters relevant to modern readers. Really well done.

A Very Good Book
The Birchbark House is a very good topic book for people learning about Native Americans. Though it is historical fiction, it shows a daily Native American life very well using the example of a little girl called Omakyas and her siblings. Louise Erdrich is very descriptive in her writing, and I recommend it to readers of any age.

An alternative to the "Little House" books
A beautiful book. Parallel in many ways to Wilder's series, this tells the other side in a moving way. We follow a year in the life of an 8-year-old Ojibway girl, including a tragic smallpox epidemic, a meeting with a bear family, and finding out her true heritage.