Circle of Wonder: A Native American Christmas Story [Audiobook] [Audio Reel Tape]

N. Scott Momaday (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2001 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

"Circle of Wonder centers upon a world that is so dear to me as to be engraved on my memory forever. I was a boy of twelve when my parents and I moved to Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico in 1946. . . . It was a place of singular beauty and wonder and delight. My first Christmas there was beyond my imagining. . . . The night sky was radiant; the silence was vast and serene. In all the years of my life I have not gone farther into the universe. I have not known better the essence of peace and the sense of eternity. I have come no closer to the understanding of the most holy."--N. Scott Momaday

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Drawing on childhood memories of Christmas in a New Mexican village, Momaday produces a poetic story that skillfully blends Christian and Native American traditions. On Christmas Eve, Tolo, a lonely mute boy, is drawn by the spirit of his beloved grandfather to a bonfire in the mountains, where he shares a "circle of wonder and good will" with an elk, a wolf and an eagle. His heart fills with love for his family, for the Christ child and for all creation, and in this brief glimpse of the interconnectedness of all life his loneliness is banished forever. Features Momaday's singular, impressionistic artwork. All ages.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

A truly beautiful book, by a great author. . . . Every youngster (and oldster!) will be enthralled by the paintings of Momaday (Kiowa, by way of Jemez) and his tale of a Pueblo Christmas. -- Book Talk

Both story and illustrations in this wonderful book sprang from Pulitzer Prize-winning Momadays remembrances of his childhood on the Jemez Reservation, particularly during the Christmas season. He tells the story of a young mute named Tolo who shares the spirituality of the mountains and meadows with his grandfather. Upon his grandfathers death, Tolo plunges into loneliness. The frenzy of the Christmas season reawakens him, and Tolo follows the vision of his late grandfather back into the meadow where he is empowered by other creatures of the wild. Tolo transcends his own sorrow to understand the Christmas spirit. -- Bloomsbury Review --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Audio Reel Tape
• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826327974
• ISBN-13: 978-0826327970
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 2.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,987,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #23 in Books > Books on Cassette > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Native American Studies

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