The Butterfly Dance: Tales of the People (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780789201614)

With its bright, stylized illustrations and distinctive Native voice, this appealing book gives a vivid sense of stepping into another culture. It chronicles one important day seen through the eyes of a young Hopi girl named Sihumana, or Flower Maiden, who is a member of the Rabbit Clan and winningly portrayed as a rabbit. After going with her grandfather to greet the sun and bless the day, Sihumana travels with family to another village to take part in the traditional Butterfly Dance, performed late each summer in order to bring rain to the dry lands of the Southwest. The tale ends happily with the sound of rain on the roof and the promise of butterflies in the days to come.

About the Tales of the People series

Created with the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), Tales of the People is a series of children's books celebrating Native American culture with illustrations and stories by native artists and writers. In addition to the tales themselves, each book also offers four pages filled with information and photographs exploring various aspects of Native culture, including a glossary of words in different Indian languages.

Author: Gerald Dawavendewa
ISBN-10: 0789201615
ISBN-13: 9780789201614
Publisher: Abbeville Kids
Language: English
Published: 04/01/2001
Pages: 32
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.71lbs
Size: 9.56h x 9.52w x 0.39d

Review Citation(s):
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2001 pg. 72 - Below Average, With Minor Flaw
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2002 pg. 72 - Below Average, With Minor Flaw