Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing (Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor (Awards)) [Hardcover]

James Rumford (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor (Awards)

The story of Sequoyah is the tale of an ordinary man with an extraordinary idea—to create a writing system for the Cherokee Indians and turn his people into a nation of readers and writers. The task he set for himself was daunting. Sequoyah knew no English and had no idea how to capture speech on paper. But slowly and painstakingly, ignoring the hoots and jibes of his neighbors and friends, he worked out a system that surprised the Cherokee Nation—and the world of the 1820s—with its beauty and simplicity. James Rumford’s Sequoyah is a poem to celebrate literacy, a song of a people’s struggle to stand tall and proud.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 1-4–Fascinated by the Giant Sequoias they see during a California vacation, unnamed children listen to their father tell of the trees' namesake from the opposite side of North America. Thus, in short paragraphs accompanied by richly textured illustrations, Rumford presents the seminal events in Sequoyah's life, culminating in his invention of the Cherokee syllabary. The author writes with a concise eloquence that echoes the oral tradition and makes this one of those rare gems of read-aloud nonfiction. As in his other picture books, the artwork is executed in a style and medium that evoke the period and culture of the subject, in this case creating bold-lined scenes reminiscent of 19th-century woodblock prints. Done in ink, watercolor, pastel, and pencil, the illustrations were adhered to a rough piece of wood, and its textures were highlighted through the use of chalk and colored pencil. The perfect finishing element is the parallel text in Cherokee, which not only demonstrates the product of Sequoyah's genius but also makes this beautiful book readily accessible to Cherokee children in their own language. The end matter includes additional facts and the complete syllabary. Sequoyah is a perfect companion to Rumford's other picture books on important world scholars from history and legend–Jean-François Champollion, Ibn Battuta, Cadmus–whose (mostly linguistic) achievements are comparatively unsung. A must-have for all collections.–Sean George, Memphis-Shelby County Public Library & Information Center, Memphis, TN
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 1-3. This fascinating biography, presented in a tall, slim format, introduces Sequoyah, who decided in the early 1800s to give the Cherokee language a written form. Creating 84 symbols for sounds, he began to teach the language to others in the Cherokee nation. This technique spread, enabling the publication of books and newspapers, and it survives today. Below the paragraphs of English text, appearing usually on the book's right-hand pages, is a translation into the Cherokee language. Like the giant sequoia trees that appear in the framework story, the illustrations on the facing pages are vertical and stately. Created in ink, watercolor, pastel, and pencil, the unusual artwork has a primitive quality that reflects the strength and deceptive simplicity of the text. Back matter includes a chart showing the Cherokee syllabary, a discussion of Sequoyah and his accomplishment, and a time line of his life. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; None edition (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618369473
• ISBN-13: 978-0618369478
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 7.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #687,089 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Language is key, January 24, 2005

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing (Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor (Awards)) (Hardcover)

Well, it had to happen sometime. I knew it was just a matter of time before I found that I could no longer distinguish between amazingly well-written non-fiction picture books and adult non-fiction works of literature. It all came to a head when I sat down to read James Rumford's remarkable, "Sequoyah". A winner of the Sibert Honor, the book is a intelligent examination of the Cherokee metalworker who gave his people their own written language. Reading it, I found myself intensely interested in the book's subject and his amazing accomplishment of creating an entirely new written form. But I became depressed when I reached the end. Suddenly I wanted more information. More! I wanted to know what became of the Cherokee writing and what its state is today. It took an embarrassingly long time before I stopped blaming Rumford for being so paltry with his facts and remembered that I was not, in fact, reading an in-depth history but a remarkably interesting picture book. So ladies and gentlemen of the vast Internet universe, I can think of no higher praise to give this book than this: It makes grown adults forget what they're reading, so interesting is the material.

Rumford begins on a personal note. One year, as a child, his father brought him and his family to visit the great sequoia trees of California. And the man for whom these magnificent trees are named? A leader of his people though, as Rumford's father would say, "but not as you may think?". Thus begins the history of Sequoyah. The son of a Cherokee woman and a white father he worked as a metalworker and, at the age of fifty, decided to capture his people's voices before they were wiped out by the whites. This intention was not initially appreciated by the Cherokees who may have feared that he was adopting a European trait. After some initial mishaps, Sequoyah decided to produce a syllabary based writing system. Utilizing eighty-four letters he taught his six-year-old daughter Ayoka to read. Slowly, his new system caught on until in 1824 the Cherokee Nation gave Sequoyah a silver metal. The book ends with a full syllabary accompanied with some background information for those who would like to know more about the live and history of the Cherokee language and its creator.

James Rumford gave the world the incredibly intricate and fascinating Chadian picture book, "The Calabash Cat", containing a story written in both English and Arabic. Rumford does something similar in "Sequoyah" by printing the text both in English and, this time, in the Cherokee language. It's a remarkably beautiful language visually, and here it is translated by Anna Sixkiller Huckaby who is the training coordinator at the Cherokee Nation Cultural Resource Center. The illustrations in the book are immensely beautiful, especially within the context of the story. Rarely are dedications of picture books illustrated. Here, they are. And it improves the story. The illustrations here are inspired by the Navajo works of Quincy Tahoma, the Chinese artist He Jiaying, and the Japanese woodcut master Hiroshige. As a result, they look like woodcuts but feel more personal than anything so rough-cut. I especially loved looking at the sequoia trees at the beginning, with the tiny family silhouetted below. The people are just tiny black figures, poised against a magnificent majestic work of nature. Then you come to the story and become fully enmeshed in a single man's dream and success.

Stories of true heroes are difficult to come by. Too often the people we were supposed to praise in our youth (Columbus, Andrew Jackson, Reagan, etc.) turn out, in the light of history, to have been truly awful guys. Not men like Sequoyah, though. A true hero who accomplished a single remarkably difficult act for a noble cause, he is a hero we should all know and love. And "Sequoyah" by James Rumford, is the perfect vehicle to do so. I cannot praise this book highly enough.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars award winning book!, January 20, 2005

By 

Leslie (Pepeekeo, HI, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing (Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor (Awards)) (Hardcover)

This book just won a Sibert Honor Award, given at the American Library Association meeting where they give out the Caldecott and Newberry awards and others, for its contribution to children's literature. This is a Big Deal! It's a FANTASTIC book. You won't regret getting this book. It's what I'm giving all the kids on my list this year.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Information on Sequoyah, February 10, 2007

By 

J Mascari (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing (Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor (Awards)) (Hardcover)

My 3rd Graders LOVED this book. They espicially loved how the book included the Cherokee language. They all tried to copy it and write like Sequoyah. A perfect book on Sequoyah and the Cherokee language.