A Second Look

Four-hundred-twenty-five books are reviewed in this superb collection. A Second Look, Native Americans in Childrens Books gives a thorough examination of the books as a guide for parents, teachers, librarians, and administrators interested in books for children. Anyone involved in selecting books will find this guide useful in working through the maze of available materials.

Andie Peterson, one of the few women to be awarded an Eagle Feather, has provided a meaningful criteria to help in judging books. She outlines ways for objectively studying books to draw conclusions as to the suitability for the reader. She writes candidly about books filled with stereotypes, hurtful images, and damaging text and illustrations. She writes eloquent, glowing reviews of the books that are real treasures.

She writes: On a daily basis, children must face the hidden curriculum that lets them know where they fit in, whether they can achieve their goals, whether they even dare to dream. An overwhelming part of that hidden curriculum begins with books that are more narrative and illustrations; they are books that carry a message of politics and values.

Andie advises that in selecting Native American books, the non-Native child must be considered, also. She counsels that hurtful books set in motion attitudes of prejudice that persist for years. She states that she has reviewed books with older copyrights because they are still on the shelves in libraries and available via the Internet. She says reading the older books helps to understand how adults have formed ideas about Native people. She says: After all, if its in a book in the library, people believe it to be true. Its time to disturb the peace and end the ritual of damage.

A Second Look, Native Americans in Childrens Books

By Andie Peterson

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