Keepers of Life: Discovering Plants through Native American Stories and Earth Activities for Children [Hardcover]

Joseph Bruchac (Author), Michael J. Caduto (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 18, 1994 | Age Level: 9 and up

Using Native American stories as a teaching tool to help children discover plants and their environment, a complete program of study in botany, plant ecology, and natural history of many North American plants focuses on environmental and stewardship issues. IP.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This is the third volume in Fulcrum's Keepers series of books teaching children environmental awareness. Presented here are 18 Native American stories from such tribes as the Huron, Seneca, Cheyenne, Cherokee, Mandan, Inuit, Pueblo, and Osage, covering such topics as botany, plant ecology, and the natural history of North American plants and plantlike organisms. Following each story is advice for parents, teachers, naturalists, or camp counselors on holding a discussion, asking questions, doing related activities, and extending the experience (reading, growing plants, writing and acting out a story, establishing a compost heap, taking a field trip, etc.). There is also a guide for using the book and a glossary and pronunciation key to Native American words and proper names. George Cohen

About the Author

Joseph Bruchac, coauthor of The Keepers of the Earth series, is a nationally acclaimed Native American storyteller and writer who has authored more than 70 books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for adults and children. He lives in upstate New York. Michael J. Caduto is an award-winning author, master storyteller, poet, musician, educator, and ecologist. He has received numerous awards, including the New York State Outdoor Education Association's Art and Literary Award, New England's Regional Award for Excellence in Environmental Education, the American Booksellers' "Pick of the List" Award, and the Association of Children's Booksellers' Choice Award, among others.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing; First Edition edition (October 18, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555911862
• ISBN-13: 978-1555911867
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #999,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #83 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > United States

More About the Author

Joseph Bruchac is a highly acclaimed Abenaki children's book author, poet, novelist and storyteller, as well as a scholar of Native American culture. Coauthor with Michael Caduto of the bestselling Keepers of the Earth series, Bruchac's poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from Akwesasne Notes and American Poetry Review to National Geographic and Parabola. He has authored more than 50 books for adults and children. For more information about Joseph, please visit his website www.josephbruchac.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't say enough about these books!, April 1, 2002

By 

leslie stevens (orlando, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keepers of Life: Discovering Plants through Native American Stories and Earth Activities for Children (Keepers of the Earth) (Paperback)

The entire series is excellent!!! I have all four and I highly reccomend them. They teach science, literature, native american culture, and give children a respect for the natural world at the same time. (there is even the occasional bit of math thrown in). My son loves doing the activities with me! Excellent for unit studies!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Homeschooling Ecology Unit, August 1, 2001

By 

The Night Writer "windlistener" (Grand Forks, ND USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keepers of Life: Discovering Plants through Native American Stories and Earth Activities for Children (Keepers of the Earth) (Paperback)

We use this book as a homeschool social studies/ecology resource. Each section begins with a Native American story related to the topic of the chapter, then moves on to a discussion of the subject matter. Each section also has activities/experiments, questions for review and discussion, and recommendations for materials for further study. My kids really look forward to each lesson in this book, because the information is presented in a fun manner, and the activities are appropriate for a wide-range of ages!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars infalliable, January 12, 2009

By 

snowy owl books (Detroit) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keepers of Life: Discovering Plants through Native American Stories and Earth Activities for Children (Hardcover)

This book has helped me time and time again develop nature studies programs, regain motivation and perform a reasonable do it yourself scientific study. I am very impressed with the willingness of these authors to dig deeply into biological sciences and give the reader an intricate look at plant life forms that is rarely done outside of college environmental studies. The diagrams are wonderful tools to begin with. The activities range from complicated to carefree, from performative to analytical, and as the case most often, outdoor environmental activities usually end up in amulti dimensional learning experience that cannot be put to words. The Native American stories are a good way to begin units of study for child doesnt want to hear a good story in favor of her opinion ? First capture imagination, and nature fills in the rest.