Customer Reviews

Meet Mindy: A Native Girl from the Southwest (My World Young Native Americans Today)

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I couldn't resist a book with my name in it, and I was pleased to find that this book was very good. It follows Mindy, a teenage Native American girl of the Hopi and Tewa tribes in Arizona, through the Corn Grinding Ceremony and the Yah-ne-wah Dance. The majority of the book is told in the first person in simple, readable language easily understood by 4th to 6th graders. A few pages at the beginning give a brief overview of Hopi history and culture, and a few pages at the end take readers through a description of a Hopi year through the seasons. The "About the Author" section starts the book, which makes for a weak beginning. Nonetheless this book is a browser's delight. Every page has brightly colored photographs illustrating the story. Not to mention, it is full of information about Hopi culture. This book will find a home on school and public library shelves.

The second book in the impressive "My World: Young Native Americans Today" series from Beyond Words Publishing, Meet Mindy: A Native Girl From The Southwest by Susan Secakuku (and profusely illustrated with the color photography of John Harrington) introduces young readers to Mindy, a girl who tells of the Hopi and Tewa peoples of Arizona. Following Mindy through her coming-of-age ceremony, as well as offering an amazing look at Hopi culture including agriculture, weaving baskets, making clay pots, traditional dances, and much more, Meet Mindy is a captivating look into a rich and enduring Native American culture.