Rattlesnake Dance: True Tales, Mysteries, and Rattlesnake Ceremonies [Paperback]

Jennifer Owings Dewey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2000 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

THIS EDITION IS INTENDED FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Retells the author's experiences being bitten by a rattlesnake and observing the snakes in the wild, describes the Hopi rattlesnake dance, and covers rattlesnake anatomy and behavior.

--This text refers to the School & Library Binding edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6. In a simple, compelling text, Dewey invites readers to share three of her personal experiences with rattlesnakes in her native New Mexico. The first is a traumatic, life-threatening episode involving a snakebite at the age of nine. The second describes her awe at a Hopi rain dance, watching the dancers handle snakes?including rattlers?with seeming impunity. The third, years later, depicts her wonder at observing two male rattlers jousting for dominance. These engrossing memories are embroidered with informative boxes of scientific facts and folklore about rattlesnakes, and the whole is handsomely enriched by Dewey's elegant, exquisitely detailed pencil illustrations and scientific diagrams. Two problems exist: one small, one not so small. In a listing of rattlesnake enemies, vultures are not mentioned, but one is depicted in the drawing. A distribution map of "Species of Rattlesnakes" includes the cottonmouth and the copperhead. Both of these snakes belong to the family of pit vipers (Crotalidae), which includes rattlesnakes, but they are not members of a rattlesnake genus, and have no rattles. Otherwise, a fascinating read.?Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 3^-6. While rock climbing at age nine, Dewey became one of the nearly 8,000 North Americans who are bitten each year by rattlesnakes. The experience is the most vivid of three personal encounters with rattlers and pit vipers that she recounts in this oversize book, which is handsomely illustrated with her colored pencil drawings. Also included are descriptions of a Hopi Indian snake ceremony and an unusual mock combat between two male rattlesnakes that gives the book its title. Interspersed among the narratives are illustrated sidebars that invite browsing with their miscellaneous facts and bits of folklore about these fascinating creatures. Michael Cart --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Boyds Mills Press (February 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563978776
• ISBN-13: 978-1563978777
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,258,927 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars lots and lots and lots of info in this children's book, August 5, 2008

By 

D. Lowery (San Ramon, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rattlesnake Dance: True Tales, Mysteries, and Rattlesnake Ceremonies (Paperback)

While I like the information delivered in this book, especially the true story about the author being bitten by a prairie rattler, I found there was almost too much info delivered--this could have easily been 2 or 3 books. There are lots of facts about rattler, Hopi culture, and snakebites! The artwork is wonderful, with color pencils doing the presentation, giving a soft look to the images. I noticed an error on an otherwise lovely-rendered U.S. map--there's no Delaware! So a very nice book but overloaded with info.