Cheyenne Again [Hardcover]

Eve Bunting (Author), Irving Toddy (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 1995 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

"The Indian in us must disappear, they say. It must be tamed." In the late 1880s, ten-year-old Young Bull is sent to boarding school to learn the white man's ways. Eve Bunting's sensitive and poetic text recreates an experience shared by many Native American children in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Irving Toddy's dramatic paintings capture the beauty and color of the world Young Bull has left behind- and the vivid memories he preserves in his ledger drawings.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4-A poignant look at the pain inflicted upon one child by a dominant culture's heavy-handed attempt to "help." Near the turn of the century, a Cheyenne boy, Young Bull, is forced to attend the off-reservation Indian school so that he can learn to become a part of the white world. He is housed in soulless barracks and shown repeatedly and quite blatantly that the Indian ways are no good. When he rebels and tries to run home in a snowstorm, he is caught, returned, and shackled for a day. The story, told from Young Bull's point of view, is not so much judgmental as empathetic-none of the authority figures is an ogre. The agents for change here are not white bureaucrats, but Indians who have adopted white ways, and Young Bull clearly feels betrayed by them. Toddy's acrylic and oil paintings add to the emotions expressed in the narrative. The openness, light, color, and individuality of the boy's home surroundings are in sharp contrast to the formality, emptiness, and uniformity of the school. Young Bull's struggle to hold onto his heritage will touch children's sense of justice and lead to some interesting discussions and perhaps further research.
Sally Margolis, formerly at Deerfield Public Library, IL
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Young Bull's struggle to hold onto his heritage will touch children's sense of justice and lead to some interesting discussions and perhaps further research." School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books; 1St Edition edition (September 18, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395703646
• ISBN-13: 978-0395703649
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,953,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eve Bunting has written more than 200 books for children, many of which can be found in libraries around the world. Her other Clarion titles for very young readers include My Big Boy Bed, which was also illustrated by Maggie Smith, and Little Bear's Little Boat, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. She lives in Pasadena, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cheyenne Again, April 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Cheyenne Again (Hardcover)

This literary piece is well written with the exquisite paintings that amplify the story over all. To have the visual images interact with the writing so well, I have to wonder how such an artist would only have illustrated a few books. A must read and a visual pleaser to the afficianados of art. Irving Toddy is a fine artist whose work should be sought out more. Eve Bunting is a good writer whose work is always complemented by the illustrator. In this case, to have a Native American-Navajo illustrate and to have lived the characters experiences is great.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A simple, yet profoundly moving tale of Native Americans., July 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Cheyenne Again (Hardcover)

I teach reading and language classes. This book is an excellent resource to encourage reading, to introduce new language, and to increase my students knowledge and understanding of other cultures.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cheyenne Again, February 24, 2006

By 

Tracy J. Archipley "storybird" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cheyenne Again (Paperback)

The middle school-aged children I've shared this with enjoy the story. It inspires many good questions and comments from them.