Reviewed by Debbie Reese
Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature
Book Author: Jessica Engelking
. . .The biography starts in 1986 when [Peggy] Flanagan was in first grade in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. It is recess time and Peggy is outside playing. But she’s thinking about the lessons they were doing before recess. Her teacher had been talking about Christopher Columbus. Peggy knows her people were here before he was, and she knows the impact of Europeans on Native peoples, so, she’s not looking forward to going back into the classroom where she anticipates they’ll keep talking about him. Hart’s illustration for that page shows three kids at desks, taking notes as a teacher writes on the chalkboard. We can see Peggy’s page. She’s not taking notes. Instead, she’s sketched a sad face. Here’s that page:
That, too, is a mirror of Native experiences in school. For far too long, Native children have been in classrooms where a teacher puts that myth forward, uncritically. I’m glad that’s in there, and I hope it is the nudge teachers need to stop doing that! Continue reading on American Indians in Children’s Literature.
See reviews of the two other books in the Minnesota Native American Lives series: Charles Albert Bender and Ella Cara Deloria.
Find more recommended books on this topic on our American Indians booklist.
Peggy Flanagan by Jessica Engelking
Published by Wise Ink Creative Publishing on September 14, 2021
Genres: American Indians First Nations Metis Inuit, Women
Pages: 66
Reading Level: Grades 6-8
ISBN: 9781634894463
Review Source: American Indians in Children's Literature
Publisher's Synopsis: The Minnesota Humanities Center presents Minnesota Native American Lives, three stories of exceptional individuals across sports, language, and government!
Peggy Flanagan is the Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota. This is the second-highest office in the state. She is the first Native woman to hold such a high elected statewide office in the United States. Her whole life she knew that the school system doesn't tell American Indian stories in a true way. Peggy is working hard to change how Native peoples' stories are told and to make life better for all Minnesotans. Her story is a Minnesota Native American life.
The Minnesota Native American Lives Series includes biographies of Charles Albert Bender, Ella Cara Deloria, and Peggy Flanagan. Read all three!
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