Shota and the Star Quilt (Folk Tales) [Hardcover]

Margaret Bateson Hill (Author), Francesca Pelizzoli (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998 | Age Level: 5 and up | Series: Folk Tales

Shota is a young Lakota girl who lives in a contemporary American city. When the block that her family and friends live on is threatened by development, they use long-standing Lakota traditions to find a solution that saves their homes. In working together, they create a beautiful quilt that resolves more than just their problem. This story weaves together traditional folktale values with modern concerns for the urban environment and green issues. In addition to the beautiful folk-style native art illustrations, the complete text of the story is presented in Lakota as well as English.

Editorial Reviews

Review

delightful book. -- Quilter's Newsletter Magazine --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: English

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Zero To Ten (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1840890215
• ISBN-13: 978-1840890211
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,300,388 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful; a must-have for any children's lit collection!, August 3, 2005

By 

Feather (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Shota and the Star Quilt (Folk Tales series) (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book. Whereas most children's literature dealing with Native themes show Native people as existing only in the past, this book shows modern Native people in both urban and reservation settings. The relationship between Shota and her best friend, Esther (who is white), is nicely presented, as are the parallels between the two grandmothers. The drawings are wonderful. The text is presented in both English and Lakota (Sioux), which is very important not only for speakers of Lakota, but so that non-Native children understand that Lakota people have a Lakota language.

What is so outstanding about this book is that it shows adults taking the children seriously. It empowers even young children because it shows that children are capable of finding solutions to problems even when adults are unable to do so. My children also really liked that all of the tenants in the apartment building where Shota and Esther lived were able to band together against the landlord who was threatening to demolish their building.

We are a Native family with dozens of children's Native titles, and this is consistently on our "Top Five!" It has been an honor and a pleasure to be able to share this title with other families and with my children's classmates at school.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A different perspective, November 13, 2007

By 

Cynthia O'Hora (on a hill, Pa USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Shota and the Star Quilt (Folk Tales series) (Paperback)

A young Lakota Sioux child learns about quilting, community and the potential of a single act of kindness. The illustrations are rich in color and bring the story to life. The Sioux text, which was included with the English, was intriguing.

The people of the Pine Ridge Reservation of South Dakota are seeking copies to be giving to impoverished children. Please contribute via the Friends of the Pine Ridge Reservation web site.

4.0 out of 5 stars Story of two sweet girls and a quilt, January 8, 2012

By 

reviewer2009 (Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shota and the Starquilt (Folktale Collection S.) (Paperback)

I randomly selected this book while searching under the quilt keyword from the library, and ordered it, thinking it featured a Japanese girl. I was wrong, she is Lakota. I'm so glad that I did! My five year old son really liked it. It's written and illustrated by two English women, with two native women as "consultant" and translator.

As mentioned in the other reviews, it's about a bad old white man who is lonely and dead inside so he decides to tear down some houses to fill the hole in his heart. This is the only part of the book I didn't like, it's very stereotypical and no real estate developer does it because they are lonely, but, whatever, it's a simple dramatic story. Shota, the Lakota girl, and her friend, Esther, decide to save their building. They visit Pine Ridge and make a community quilt, which is later given to the man. He's touched, so he saves their building, and becomes a star in the sky.

The text is bilingual.

Despite the stereotypical villain, I really liked the book because it showed that kids can make a difference, and people can be moved and touched, even bad ones.

I'm sad this book is out of print!