Four Seasons of Corn: A Winnebago Tradition (We Are Still Here) [Paperback]

Sally M. Hunter (Author), Carly Bordeau (Illustrator), Joe Allen (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1996 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: We Are Still Here

Twelve-year-old Russell learns how to grow and dry corn from his Winnebago grandfather.

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

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6. In an effort to continue the traditions of the Hochunk (Winnebago) people, Hunter follows 12-year-old Russell through the year as he learns about his people's special relationship with corn. Russell is a hard-working student in St. Paul, Minnesota, fond of computers, hockey, and football. The cover photograph shows a thoroughly modern boy hoeing in a corn field, dressed in shorts, T-shirt, black tennies, and backward hat?illustrating the balance between the contemporary and traditional that Russell is learning to live, under the careful guidance of his elders. The boy and his family raise their corn on a friend's farm some distance south, where they all participate in the cycle of growing and experience the bounty of the earth. The author uses Indian terms and words throughout the text and explains each briefly without interrupting the flow of the prose: "The next time Russell visits the farm, it is July, called Wa-xoch-wee-dda, or the corn tasseling moon." The book contains legends and history, as well as detailed information about tending, harvesting, and drying the corn. Nearly every page has a large full-color photograph or two that complement the text and make this book particularly inviting. Four Seasons of Corn does much to enlighten readers and dispel stereotypes.?Lee Bock, Brown County Public Libraries, Green Bay, WI
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3^-6. Hunter interweaves highlights of the daily life of 12-year-old Russell to give readers a glimpse of a well-rounded American middle-schooler of mixed heritage who participates in some of the traditional activities of his grandfather's Winnebago people even as he's living in a large city, playing hockey, and working out computer problems. The importance of corn and its harvest and the strength of family life to the Winnebago people is emphasized through text and well demonstrated through color photos. One contradiction may stop some readers: the text implies that Russell is wearing a short-sleeved shirt when he works in the corn field but the photo shows him in a long-sleeved one. A map and an author's note about her own Native American traditions are included, as are a glossary and a brief list of further readings. Karen Morgan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group (December 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822597411
• ISBN-13: 978-0822597414
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 9.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,458,485 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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