Building a Bridge [Paperback]

Lisa Shook Begaye (Author), Libba Tracy (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1999

On the first day of kindergarten, with the help of their teacher, a Navajo girl and a white girl learn to overlook their different appearances and become friends.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-Both Anna, an Anglo, and Juanita, a Navajo, find the first day of school exciting and scary. They are both reservation children but live in different worlds. Blonde-haired, fair-skinned Anna is apprehensive as she boards a bus full of dark-skinned, dark-haired children. "'I don't think I'm going to have any friends here,'" she thinks. Their teacher introduces the girls to each other and to a set of "magic" blocks. They can't understand how ordinary blocks can be magic, but they play with them, first separately, and then, at Mrs. Yazzie's suggestion, together. "'It doesn't matter what color the blocks are, they all fit together,'" she explains. Tracy's pastel crayon drawings on warm, desert-brown paper add strength and meaning to this simple but didactic story about building bridges of understanding.
Anna Biagioni Hart, Sherwood Regional Library, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Northland Pub (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873587278
• ISBN-13: 978-0873587273
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,409,372 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teaches a subtle lesson for children of all ages., January 27, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Building a Bridge (Hardcover)

Lisa Shook Begaye adds credibility to this writing since she has actually lived on an Indian Reservation. "Building a Bridge" teaches a subtle lesson without being "preachy". It gives our children an illustrated look into the Native American culture and shows how a simple activity such as playing with building blocks can be a first step in uniting us all. It has become one of my children's favorite stories.

Debi Brim ([e-mail])

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kids need this book., August 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Building a Bridge (Paperback)

Good book to read to kids who are nervous about meeting other kids. Whenever I read this book out loud to my first grade class, I notice an incredible change in how they interact with each other. I would love to see more books by this author.

5.0 out of 5 stars Building A Bridge, April 27, 2009

By 

Nancy Ireland - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Building a Bridge (Hardcover)

The story takes place on a Navajo Reservation (such as in northern Arizona). The lesson is that childen of different origins (Navajo and Anglo) can be friends. We read the book to children in a classroom setting on the reservation. They were delighted with the illustrations (typical of Navajo culture) as well as the story.

It arrived ahead of schedule and was in excellent shape. I would order from the supplier again.