Unlike most books that chronicle the history of Native peoples beginning with the arrival of Europeans in 1492, this book goes back to the Ice Age to give young readers a glimpse of what life was like pre-contact. The title, Turtle Island, refers to a Native myth that explains how North and Central America were formed on the back of a turtle. Based on archeological finds and scientific research, we now have a clearer picture of how the Indigenous people lived. Using that knowledge, the authors take the reader back as far as 14,000 years ago to imagine moments in time. A wide variety of topics are featured, from the animals that came and disappeared over time, to what people ate, how they expressed themselves through art, and how they adapted to their surroundings. The importance of story-telling among the Native peoples is always present to shed light on how they explained their world. The end of the book takes us to modern times when the story of the Native peoples is both tragic and hopeful.

Poems.

From the award-winning creator of I'M THE BIGGEST THING IN THE OCEAN comes an inspiring tale of friendship and belonging that's perfect for fans of THE SNAIL AND THE WHALE, OWEN AND MZEE, and Oliver Jeffers's LOST AND FOUND. Turtle is big. But the ocean is bigger. And Turtle is all alone. Until four shipwrecked folks--a bear, an owl, a frog, and a cat--climb to safety on his shell. Before long, they're fast friends, and the sea doesn't seem so vast anymore. But when Frog confides that he misses his family, Turtle doesn't understand. Isn't he their family? And when the group decides to sail for home, will Turtle be left behind? Never fear--a surprise on the horizon promises friends, family, and a home at last. Uplifting and heartfelt, this is a book about the power of friendship and making a home of one's own.

The first comprehensive guide to addressing Native American issues in teaching children.

Presents a collection of traditional Cherokee tales, teachings, and folklore, with four works presented in both English and Cherokee.

Duane Champagne has been presenting a series of comments on Indian policy, history, and culture since October 2006 in the newspaper Indian Country Today. This book provides a compilation of many of these editorials, plus two chapters not previously published. The contemplative writing by this well-respected scholar are comments and thoughts on a variety of issues that have arisen in his academic work and the classroom, but mainly through his direct contact and work with tribal communities. The purpose of these thought-provoking editorials is to create discussion about the issues that confront indigenous peoples and to educate a broad audience about the complexities of American Indian issues. Students, policy makers, and all people interested in American Indian or indigenous people's issues will find this book to be an interesting and stimulating read.