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Emma Williams, Collection Development Specialist at Booksource
10/12/2012 12:32:37 PM
In my work I pick up a LOT of interesting tidbits from nonfiction children’s books, and I often wish that I had been exposed to more nonfiction when I was a child. Certainly I would be a better-informed adult! Well, better late than never, right? Nonfiction has a certain punch because it deals with reality. Nonfiction stories ring true and stay with us. My point is this: get compelling nonfiction into the hands of your students!
I recently picked up one such book, Black Elk’s Vision: A Lakota Story by S.D. Nelson. I learned about Black Elk of the Lakota-Oglala, who lived from 1863 to 1950. He lived through several life-altering events that affected his tribe: fighting to save his people’s way of life in the Battle of Little Bighorn; watching as the Wha-shi-choos (the White Man) murdered the sacred buffalo; enduring the harsh and depressing conditions of the reservations onto which his people were forced. Black Elk also traveled the world with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. He was wounded but survived the massacre that took place at Wounded Knee.
Throughout his life, Black Elk carried with him a great and holy vision from his childhood. In his vision, the Six Grandfathers presented him with a cup filled with water. This symbolized the power of life. They also gave him a bow and arrow, the power to destroy. “Everyone must choose to walk with the water of life or the weapon of destruction.” From this vision, Black Elk understood that humans, and all living things, are part of a circle of life. Humans can choose to honor and protect life or to destroy it. They can choose the cup of water or the bow and arrow. Finally, the Grandfathers gave Black Elk a red stick, the tree of life, and told him to carry the stick back to his people and teach them to care for it. They told him that when all people share the same vision of life, the tree will bloom.
Despite the devastation that he witnessed, Black Elk held on to his vision and his hope. He carried a message that is often found in Native American teachings: that living things rely on one another to survive. The circle of life is fundamental, the relationship of all things, basic; yet, sadly, this is a truth too often ignored. This beautifully illustrated, poignant story reminds me of the many choices I make each day, how in everything I do, I either support or damage the circle of life. The story of Black Elk will raise young readers’ consciousness of the world and get them thinking about how they relate to it and how they can care for it.
In this picture book biography, S.D. Nelson tells the story from the point of view of Black Elk. The voice adds a feeling of cultural authenticity. Numerous archival photographs reveal important historical details and events. Additional information is included in the author’s note and timeline.
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