MLIS 5603 Literature for Children and Young Adults
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Erdrich, Louise. Chickadee. New York: Harper, 2012. ISBN 0060577924
Erdrich, Louise. Chickadee. New York: Harper, 2012. ISBN 0060577924
PLOT SUMMARY
The exposition of Chickadee, by Louise Erdrich, begins with the introduction of twin brothers, Chickadee and Makoons and their parents, Omakayas and Animikiins. They live in the Woods in 1866. It is maple season, and the family is gather the sap together to make the sugar. While working, Chickadee has snuck away because a mean, elderly man, Zhigaag, had been making fun of him. Chickadee is hurt and upset when his grandmother finds him behind a rock. When his twin brother finds out, Makoons decides to play a harmless prank on Zhigaag to get revenge for Chickadee. As the plot thickens, Zhigaag's sons, Babiche and Baptiste, show up to defend their father's honor. They kidnap Chickadee to make him their slave, but during their escape out west, they learn a valuable lesson. The family spends the remainder of the fall season searching for Chickadee, unaware if he is dead or alive. As the entire family of Omakayas and Animikiins is searching for the child, they journey west to the Great Plains, north of the homeland of the Dakota people, where they settle.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Louise Erdrich does an excellent job of capturing the lifestyle of the Native-American Ojibwa culture in her fourth book in the Birchbark House Series. We read about their culture, clothing, religion, values, etc., and many Native words from the Ojibwa language are included, most with synonyms to explain them in context. The environment of the Old West, including St. Paul, is described in detail so that the readers learns much about the history of America's Old West, including its racial prejudism towards Native-Americans, the intent to Christianize "the heathen," and attempts to eradicate their cultures through acclimation and education.
An unstated theme involves family ties and unity. Several of Omakayas and Animikiins' family members have drifted apart for various reasons, but when tragedy strikes their family, they all come together and refuse to give up searching for Chickadee, even when it seems all is lost. Even in the 21st century, humans can recognize the timeless horror of child loss and kidnapping, regardless of being related biologically.
Erdrich ends her novel with a history of the Ojibwa language and a glossary and pronunciation guide of the included Ojibwa terms used in the novel itself, authenticating her knowledge of the culture she writes so diligently about.
AWARDS
· 2013 Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award· 2015 Nominee for Garden State's Children's Books Awards
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
· Horn Book Magazine, “…Every detail anticipates readers interest. Chickadee himself is a most sympathetic character -- small in stature but big in heart, like his namesake; and though its mostly his story, interspersed scenes depicting the left-behind Makoonss grief make the brothers reunion at the end all the sweeter. A map, historical prologue, and glossary of Ojibwe terms are appended." © August 15, 2012.· School Library Journal, "Erdrich eloquently imparts Ojibwe stories, history, and knowledge, and, as in the previous books, her own illustrations add charm to the stories." © November 1, 2013
· Booklist, "Best for those familiar with the series, the story includes a huge, multigenerational cast of characters, and some readers may have trouble keeping track of who's who. As always, the focus is on the way-of-life details as much as the adventure and on the daily, logistical drama of how the family moves from all that they have known to the Great Plains. Most affecting are the descriptions of Makoons' loneliness without his brother; even in the crowded cabin, There was empty space that could be filled only by Chickadee." © August 1, 2012
CONNECTIONS
Gather other Scott O'Dell Historical Award books to read such as:· (2016) The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz, ISBN 076367818X
· (2010) The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan, ISBN 0763636185
· (2007) The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages, ISBN 0670061344
Gather other Louise Erdrich books to read such as:
· The Game of Silence, ISBN 0147510619· The Porcupine Year, ISBN 1436158907
· Makoons, ISBN 0784838135
Use as an introduction to a Canada, Lake Superior, Native Americans, travel and journeys, kidnapping, fur trapping and trade.
https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?a=1&tid=31132
http://ecosystems.psu.edu/youth/sftrc/lesson-plans/wildlife
http://rainbowdolphin-interconnected.blogspot.com/2009/11/black-capped-chickadee.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfMsUuU9KtQ
Similar Titles:
· Earnst, Kathleen. Trouble at Fort la Pointe. ISBN 1584850876· Wargin, Kathy-Jo. The Voyageur's Paddle. ISBN 1585360074
· Martin, Jacqueline Briggs. On Sand Island. ISBN 061823151X
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