Reviewed by Debbie Reese
Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature
Book Author: Ashley Fairbanks
Wow! I love how this book starts! The words on the first double-paged spread say, “This is my house.” Behind it is a river. Beside the house is a tall pine tree. We see a family by the tree.
Turn the page and see: “Before us, another family lived here.” On that page, the illustrations are family portrait style. Four different families are shown, each family unique, each clad in modern clothes.
Turn the page again and we read the words: “Before our house was here, there was another family, with a different kind of house.” On that page we see see wigwams in a village and the families who lived in them. The people in that village are wearing clothes with Anishinaabe designs. Behind that village is the river we saw earlier, and that tree? It is a small, young tree. Continue reading on American Indians in Children’s Literature.
Find more recommended books on this topic on our American Indians booklist.
This Land by Ashley Fairbanks
Published by Random House Children's Books on August 27, 2024
Genres: African American
Pages: 40
Reading Level: Grades 1-2
ISBN: 9780593651445
Review Source: American Indians in Children's Literature
Publisher's Synopsis: This land is your land now, but who did it belong to before? This engaging primer about native lands invites kids to trace history and explore their communities.
Before my family lived in this house, a different family did, and before them, another family, and another before them. And before that, the family who lived here lived not in a house, but a wigwam. Who lived where you are before you got there?
This Land teaches readers that American land, from our backyards to our schools to Disney World, are the traditional homelands of many Indigenous nations. This Land will spark curiosity and encourage readers to explore the history of the places they live and the people who have lived there throughout time and today.
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