In The Footsteps of Crazy
Horse - Joseph Marshall III, with
illustrations by Jim Yellowhawk
All my life I’ve
heard the stories of Crazy Horse and especially the Battle of the Little
Bighorn, and usually it was from a sorrowful perspective of the loss of General
Custer and his men. This time, Joseph Marshall has written a wonderful book for
middle grade readers from the perspective of Native Americans, particularly
Tasunke Witko, known as Crazy Horse. Jimmy McClean, a Lakota boy, although his
name does not show it, is being teased at school because his name doesn’t seem
to mean he’s Native Lakota, and because he has light hair. His thoughtful
grandfather, Nyles High Eagle, takes him on a summer trip to learn about Crazy
Horse, and the heritage Jimmy can be proud of. Marshall uses oral stories from
the Lakotas to tell this story as Jimmy and his grandfather visit important
parts of Crazy Horse’s life all the way to the heart-breaking surrender. Jimmy gains
perspective about the sadness of loss on both sides, but pride in the way Crazy
Horse led his people, in his courage in war and in thinking of his people. Each
chapter’s heading is a lovely painting by Jim Yellowhawk, and there is a
glossary and bibliography. A map at the beginning of the story helps the reader
trace the paths of Crazy Horse. Children reading this will enjoy the journey, and learn
that history should be approached from all points of view.
I’m catching up on books
that came out last year that others loved and I never read, and also managed to
read one more from 2016, Saline Yoon’s terrific Be A Friend, newly
arrived, and one that could be paired beautifully with Stick and Stone. And, I just realized that a theme of each of these picture books is kindness, doing the right thing,