A Portrait of Spotted Deer's Grandfather [School & Library Binding]

Amy Littlesugar (Author), Marlowe Dechristopher (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

"On the Medicine Painter's magic cloth you would live forever, " Spotted Deer tells his grandfather, Moose Horn. It is the day George Catlin, the famous painter of American Indians, comes to visit their village. Fearing the artist may take away his spirit, Moose Horn refuses to have his portrait made. But Catlin and the gift of a vision bring Moose Horn to a surprising decision. Full color.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3?A journey made in 1836 by the American artist George Catlin provides the framework of this story. A Chippewa boy, Spotted Deer, urges his grandfather to let Catlin paint his portrait, but the old man is reluctant. It is not until Moose Horn observes in Catlin the same sadness for the loss of the Indians' culture that he himself feels, and is prompted by a spirit visitation of himself as a young warrior, that he allows the artist to paint him. The idea that being painted can confer a kind of immortality is a concept perhaps too advanced for the primary graders who are the likeliest audience for this story. The elegiac mood of the text is reinforced by deChristopher's oil paintings, reminiscent of Thomas Locker's work. While some of the scenes are sketchily drawn, the faces of Catlin and Moose Horn, when they are shown in close-up, are beautifully portrayed, and the affection between the old man and the boy is evident. A foreword gives an outline of Catlin's life and mentions the author's own journey gathering material for this story. Mark Sufrin's George Catlin (1991) and Anne F. Rockwell's Paintbrush and Peacepipe (1971, both Atheneum; o.p.) are biographies for older children; Russell Freedman's An Indian Winter (Holiday, 1992), also for an older audience, is about another 19th-century painter of Indians, Karl Bodmer.?Pam Gosner, formerly at Maplewood Memorial Library, NJ
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 2^-4. Spotted Deer's grandfather, Moose Horn, was once a famous warrior, but he fears he will lose his spirit if he allows Medicine Painter to paint his portrait. Although he is unmoved by Spotted Deer's pleading, Moose Horn finally agrees to sit for the portrait after a dream convinces him that the painting might protect his people from oblivion. Littlesugar has based this picture book for older readers on the life of George Catlin, best known for his portraits and scenes of Native American life during the 1830s and 1840s. Marlowe deChristopher's many paintings are somber and reflective, perfectly echoing the story's tone. Useful for introducing Catlin's life or a unit on American Indians. Karen Hutt

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Co (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807566225
• ISBN-13: 978-0807566220
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,698,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, August 2, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: A Portrait of Spotted Deer's Grandfather (School & Library Binding)

I thought this book was good for a biography of George Catlin. He painted a lot of beautiful paintings of the Native Americans and their land. I recommend this book to those who like to learn more of how the NAtive Americans thought that their face was the spirit and it can be taken away. Please read to understand the NAtive people customs and way of life.
Cdelatorre