Brother Eagle, Sister Sky [Hardcover]

Susan Jeffers (Author), Chief Seattle (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up

"How can you buy the sky? How can you own the rain and the wind?" So begin the moving words attributed to a great American Indian chief--Chief Seattle--over 100 years ago. They are words that eloquently capture the central belief of Native Americans: that this earth and every creature on it is sacred. It is this belief that inspired Susan Jeffers' extraordinary full-color paintings.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With Native American themes currently in vogue, and environmental awareness a hot issue, this timely picture book scores perfect marks in both arenas. The story is an adaptation of a speech delivered by Chief Seattle at treaty negotiations in the 1850s. Like other great speeches that have stood the test of time, his remarkably relevant message has endured because it comes from the heart and is imbued with passion--here, passion born of love for the land--"This we know: All things are connected like the blood that unites us. / We did not weave the web of life, / We are merely a strand in it. / Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves." Jeffers has paired Seattle's eloquence with her dreamy, meticulous illustrations and the resulting images are haunting. First, readers see Native Americans living in harmony with nature, but gradually the images grow bleaker--ugly swaths of land stripped of their timber. The story comes full circle as a Caucasian family plants new trees on the barren land in a gesture that signifies hope and renewal. Together, Seattle's words and Jeffers's images create a powerful message; this thoughtful book deserves to be pondered and cherished by all. All ages.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-5-- Chief Sealth (called "Seattle" by Jeffers) may not, in fact, be the historical source of the speech commonly attributed to him, and abridged and adapted here. But the message it conveys has never been more pointed, poignant, and powerful. Jeffers's popular pen-and-color style means that the illustrations are romantic and attractive. Alas, her entire stock of characters appears to have come from Sioux Central Casting, complete with Plains ponies and tipis (and one incongruous birchbark canoe lifted from the Algonquians). The beautiful and important words of the text ("The earth does not belong to us. We belong to the earth. . . All things are connected like the blood that unites us.") are not well served by images that ignore the rich diversity of Amerindian cultures (even Sealth's own Northwest people) in favor of cigar-store redskins in feathers and fringe. Where Jeffers's book is used, it should be supplemented with others more sensitive to Native American heritage. --Patricia Dooley, University of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dial; 1st edition (September 2, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803709692
• ISBN-13: 978-0803709690
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #351,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book is a fraud based on a fraud., January 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Brother Eagle, Sister Sky: A Message from Chief Seattle (Turtleback)

Readers of this very popular work should know that it is not what it pretends. Chief Seattle's "speech" as presented by Jeffers is forgery, the real chief Sealth never said anything of the kind. The speech presented here was forged in the 1970s by a Hollywood script writer, and was further altered by Jeffers herself. This book is an insulting white stereotype of real Indians, much like "Dances With Wolves." Even Jeffers' drawings are lies, based on photographs of Plains Indians who in no way resemble the real chief Sealth, who was a portly little fellow. Books like this one do a grave injustice to Native Americans.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written, entirely educational and positively uplifting, January 12, 2010

By 

CarefulParent - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brother Eagle, Sister Sky (Hardcover)

This book was gifted to a classroom of elementary school children. They loved it, we did an entire story time on it, discussed the relationship of people with nature, and if we could put a price tag on the earth and its bounties. It taught the children the importance of our surrounding, our community and how we connect to our world at large, with love, respect and all the good things that we cherish every day. This is a wonderful book to gift, receive, and read time and time again. Beautiful pictures.

28 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What do you teach your children?, July 5, 2005

By 

Pam Tee "Busy Mom" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Brother Eagle, Sister Sky (Hardcover)

Lets see... Betsy Ross did not make the first flag.

...George Washington may or may not have
a) chopped down a cherry tree,
b)thrown a coin across a river,
c) been a great leader.

...George Bush may or may not have told a lie about Iraq.
...All computer programmers may or may not have souls the size of a mouse's.

What do you teach your children?

I cannot believe people are squabbling over whether Chief S* (*for those who may or may not want to use the Anglicized name) in fact said something like or unlike the lovely verse in this book.

This book is for young children. If you are interested in presenting profound and beautiful words to your kids along with interesting pictures, both of which might very well incite conversation BUY THIS BOOK. If you want guaranteed facts, read them the newspaper. No Wait. That won't do either. Then read them MCSE Guides and Cram Course material. Raise children who think XP is a good idea.

Really folks, get a life and remember the target market for this book is not historians. REMEMBER that to a 4 to 8 year old you CANNOT subtract a larger number from a smaller one.

Heck, I read my children books about talking mice. This is a lovely book. Five Stars.