Grandma's Tipi: A Present-Day Lakota Story

by S D Nelson (Author)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

A young girl spends the summer at her grandmother's home on the Standing Rock Reservation in this heartwarming family story from acclaimed author-artist S. D. Nelson

Now that Clara is almost in third grade, she's finally old enough to spend her first summer away from home visiting her grandma, Unci, and her cousin at their home in Standing Rock Reservation. To welcome her visit, Uncle Louie brings an extra-special surprise in his pickup truck: the tipi that's been passed down through their family for generations. The girls learn how to stack the poles and wrap the canvas covering around them, how to paint spirit pictures on its walls, and how the circle of the tipi tells its own story, reminding us to how to live in the great Circle of Life. Over long days spent playing outside, doing beadwork together, telling stories, singing songs, and sleeping under the stars, the tipi brings the family closer together. As summer draws to an end, goodbye comes all too soon, but Clara will always cling to the memories of summer days and starry nights . . . and Grandma's tipi.

Select format:
Hardcover
$18.99

Kirkus

Nelson (Standing Rock Sioux) depicts his people's customs with reverence...When Clara's time on the Standing Rock Reservation comes to an end, the rich lessons of her heritage stay with her--just as they will with young readers, who will be drawn in by both Nelson's moving narration and glowing images.

None

Nelson’s vibrant illustrations are stylized to reflect Lakota ledger drawings. He effortlessly blends this art style into his realistic, authentic depictions of modern Lakota life.

Review quotes



S D Nelson

S.D. Nelson collaborated with Joseph Bruchac as illustrator of Crazy Horse's Vision and Jim Thorpe's Bright Path. He is also the author and illustrator of many picture book stories inspired by the traditions of his Lakota heritage--including Gift Horse, winner of the Parents' Choice Award, and The Star People, an Oppenheim Gold Award winner. A former middle school art teacher, Nelson is now a full-time artist whose artwork appears on book jackets, greeting cards, and CD covers, and whose paintings are held in both private and public collections. He is of Lakota (Sioux) descent and lives with his wife in Chandler, Arizona. Visit him online at sdnelson.net.

S.D. Nelson is an award-winning illustrator, whose work includes Lee & Low's Crazy Horse's Vision, Jim Thorpe's Bright Path, and Quiet Hero. He is also the author and illustrator of many picture book stories inspired by the traditions of his Lakota heritage--including Gift Horse, winner of the Parents' Choice Award, and The Star People, an Oppenheim Gold Award winner. A former middle school art teacher, Nelson is now a full-time artist whose paintings are held in both private and public collections. He is of Lakota (Sioux) descent and lives with his wife in Chandler, Arizona. Visit him online at sdnelson.net.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781419731921
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date
May 09, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
JUV039020 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Adolescence
JUV011040 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - Native American
Library of Congress categories
Picture books
Family life
Grandparent and child
Indians of North America
JUVENILE FICTION / People & Places / United S
Great Plains
JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Adolescenc
Lakota Indians

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