'This instructive and humorous folktale is told by a traditional storyteller, in prose that lends itself to reading out loud. Hopi school children created the effective illustrations.. the book contains a lively discussion of the Hopi language -- as illustrated by the story...This unique book works as a story for the very young and provides a fascinating glimpse into one of the oldest living cultures on our continent.' In both Hopi and English with glossaries and a grammar section. For ages 6 and up.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Presenting Hopi and English text alongside illustrations by Hopi children, this volume sacrifices story-appeal to a sociocultural agenda. Expectations fizzle with the opaque beginning: "Everyone was living at Oraibi. The Turtles lived near Leenangwva. Now, Coyote lived at Ismo'wala." (That "Leenangwva" means "the Flute Spring" leaks out in an entry in the dense glossaries at the end.) The rest of the folktale, in which Turtle outwits the trickster Coyote, is similarly lackluster in its English translation, and the pictures, drawn by students at the Hotevilla-Bacavi Community School in Third Mesa, Ariz., neither help focus nor embellish the text. As a step in preserving Hopi culture, however, this effort may serve a specialized audience. The unique appendices, addressed to adults, offer an overview of the Hopi language, with discussions of word order, declensions, etc. Also included are Hopi/English and English/Hopi glossaries; surprisingly, there is no pronunciation guide. A companion title, Coyote & the Winnowing Birds, is to be released this month. Ages 6-9.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
K Up?In this traditional story, Coyote tries to get Little Turtle to sing for him. The weaker creature refuses to be bullied, so Coyote threatens him with all kinds of terrible fates. Like Brer Rabbit, Little Turtle manages to get Coyote to throw him into his home, in this case the cool wet pond, where Coyote drowns. This instructive and humorous folktale is told simply by a traditional storyteller, in prose that lends itself to reading out loud. But the story is just part of this unusual book, a cooperative project of the Hopi community. School children created the effective illustrations. The text is in both English and Hopi, using newly adopted orthography. The second half of the book contains a lively discussion of the Hopi language?as illustrated by the story?and glossaries of the words used in the text. Short, clear explanations of word order, tense endings, and the different words used when the speaker is male or female give readers of all ages an appreciation of the relationship between language and culture. This unique book works as a story for the very young and provides a fascinating glimpse into one of the oldest living cultures on our continent for older audiences.?Carolyn Polese, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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