Book Descriptions
for This Land Is My Land by George Littlechild
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Seventeen dazzling, thought-provoking paintings by artist George Littlechild, a member of the Plains Cree Nation, are the focus of this stunning book. In the open, engaging narrative that accompanies each vivid reproduction, most of which are full page, the artist explains the meaning and symbolism found in his paintings, making both the art and the artistic process wholly accessible to children. Describing the painting "Red Horse in a Sea of White Horses" he writes: "...an Indian Warrior sits atop a red horse. Not at home in how own territory, the red horse sits among the white horses, who find him different and don't understand him....The red horse represents me." The artist also paints a moving portrait in words of his own life and of Native experience in this singular book that celebrates the relationship between individual, art and culture. (Ages 9-14)
CCBC Choices 1993. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 1993. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
In his own words and paintings, acclaimed Native American artist George Littlechild takes young readers back in time to the first meeting between his Plains Cree ancestors and the first European settlers in North America. Through inspiring autobiographical stories accompanied by vivid, dramatic paintings, he recounts the history of his people and their relationship to the land, relating their struggles and triumphs with sensitivity, irony, and humor. Littlechild expresses his wish to use his art to portray the wonders of his heritage and to heal the pain of his people's history and offers hope and guidance from the Native American perspective. This Land is My Land is a winner of the Jane Addams Picture Book Award and the National Parenting Publications Gold Medal.
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.