Owl in the Cedar Tree [Paperback]

Natachee Scott Momaday (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Haske, a Navaho boy, is torn between the past of his people's rich, self-sustaining culture and a present that opens up new possibilities. His parents propel him in one direction, his grandfather in another, his teacher in still another. The boy has a secret wish, but its fulfillment seems beyond reach. At night he listens to the hoot of the owl in the cedar tree and wonders if good fortune or bad is in store. This beautifully written story finally supplies the answer.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The story is told sensitively and knowledgeably, giving readers a sympathetic picture of Navajo life at the middle of the twentieth century."—American Indian Quarterly

(American Indian Quarterly )

"Details of Navajo culture and religious beliefs and suggestions of the conflict between traditional ways and the white man''s ways are accurate and interesting."—Library Journal

(Library Journal )

"Excellent reader for middle grades, written by an American Indian."—Booklist

(Booklist )

About the Author

The author, Natachee Scott Momaday, was born in Kentucky of French, Cherokee Indian, and English lineage. She spent much of her life teaching on Indian reservations. In 1968 the Press Women of New Mexico presented her the Zia Award as the outstanding woman writer of that state. Her famous family includes the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist N. Scott Momaday.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 116 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (September 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803281846
• ISBN-13: 978-0803281844
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,560,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Owl and the Cedar Tree, November 4, 2000

By 

Miguel T. Dozier (Espanola, NM USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Owl in the Cedar Tree (Paperback)

The main characters are members of a Navaho family, or more distant kin. They are Haske, Desba, Riding Woman, Nightsinger and Old Grandfather.

The family lives in a hogan. They live in a traditional way on the Navaho reservation. They have two and dogs, and two horses, but in the beginning, Haske, the boy doesn't have his own horse.

Old Grandfather died, and the family was sad. Haske got a hundred dollars as a prize for making a picture. He bought a horse named Night Wind, a beautiful and fast horse.

The title refers to the owl, which is a traditional messenger of good or bad news. The owl is not a pet....