Chickadee

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Erdrich, Louise. Chickadee. New York: Harper, 2012. ISBN 978-0060577926

PLOT SUMMARY
Chickadee is the son in an Ojibwa family. He has a twin brother name Makoons. They are always together, but one day they become separated when Chickadee is taken. The family spends the remainder of the fall season searching for Chickadee, unaware if he is dead or alive. They must cross new territories and experience great heartache as well as surprising new joys.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This is Louise Erdrich fourth book in the Birchbark House Series. Erdrich truly captures the lifestyle of the Native-American Ojibwa culture in Chickadee. This story is both heartwarming and frightening. As the story unfolds we learn the love that the twin brothers have for their family. We learn that the community is connected and that everyone is involved with helping with daily chores like gathering food.

The historical information about the Native American tribes and traditions is presented accurately. There are many detail about the family’s lifestyle. Readers will be able to learn about their culture, clothing, religion, values and even many Native words from the Ojibwa language are included, most with synonyms to explain them in context. Which is great for teaching context clues. The environment of the Old West, is described in detail so that the readers learns much about the history of America's Old West. Readers can connect to this story because any human can recognize the horror of a child being kidnapped. Erdrich is able to authentic her knowledge of the culture by including a history of the Ojibwa language and a glossary and pronunciation. This book would be well suitable for young readers (3^rd grade and above)  and older readers.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

·         2013 Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award

·         2015 Nominee for Garden State's Children's Books Awards

"Erdrich eloquently imparts Ojibwe stories, history, and knowledge, and, as in the previous books, her own illustrations add charm to the stories."  SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

"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."  BOOKLIST

CONNECTIONS

The Game of Silence (978-0064410298)
The Porcupine Year (978-0064410304)
Makoons (978-0060577933)

·         Read the Birchbark House Series and discuss the differences and similarities.

·         In Chickadee, when Chickadee visited the White Man’s city of St. Paul, he observed: “Everything the Anishinabeg counted on in life, and loved, was going into this hungry city mouth. This mouth, this city, was wide and insatiable. It would never be satisfied . . . until everything was gone” (p. 152). Discuss with your class about the importance of going green. What steps are you and your class, family, city, and state taking to conserve natural resources, recycle, use local materials, and save the environment?