White Bead Ceremony (Greyfeather Series) [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Sherrin Watkins (Author), Kim Doner (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997 | Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Greyfeather Series

Mary Greyfeather experiences the traditional Shawnee ceremony by which children are given a tribal name.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

First-time author Watkins, who is of Shawnee and Cherokee heritage, pens a sympathetic if wordy story that boasts a rarity for books about Native American culture: a realistic, contemporary setting. Four-year-old Mary's grandmother decides it's high time that the child receives her Shawnee name, and the task of selecting just the right one is entrusted to the elder women of the family. They focus on the horse-name group--helpful, hard-working, beautiful horses, the reader learns, were an important part of Shawnee culture--and choose Wapapiyeshe (it means "white-necked, moving"). But when relatives gather for the ceremony, Mary's aunt Laura, who was supposed to bring the white bead necklace traditionally given to a girl at her naming, has car trouble and can't come. Grandma Greyfeather saves the day with a necklace made of white buttons from the sewing basket and the celebration begins. The book provides a welcome glimpse at how tribal traditions are woven into the fabric of modern-day life; its educational value is enhanced by the inclusion of Shawnee vocabulary cut-out "flashcards" and a thumbnail-sketch history of the Shawnee people. But it never entirely rises above the double handicap of an overlong text and pedestrian illustrations. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Book Description

This delightful picture book is for children 6 to 10. It is the first in a series about Mary Greyfeather, a contemporary Native American girl whose world bridges two distinct cultures, that of the traditional Shawnee and that of a typical American child.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Council Oak Books; Pbk. Ed edition (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571780564
• ISBN-13: 978-1571780560
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,948,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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