Traci Sorell writes fiction and nonfiction for children featuring
contemporary characters and compelling biographies. She is an
enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and lives in northeastern
Oklahoma, where her tribe is located.
Madelyn Goodnight is a member of the Chickasaw Nation. Her work
reflects her love of childhood. She holds a degree from Rhode
Island School of design and lives in Brooklyn. She is the
illustrator of The Pear Tree and Look, Grandma!/Ni, Elisi!
www.madelyngoodnight.com
♦ In this contemporary story, an Indigenous tradition inspires hope
in a young girl.
Powwow Day, a traditional Native American ceremony, arrives, but
River is still recovering from an unnamed illness and feels too
weak to dance. Dressed in her jingle dress and matching moccasins,
she longs to join her family and friends in the Grand Entry
procession. She hears the drums—“BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM”—and watches
the elders enter the circle with flags and feathers. The fancy
dancers “twirl and ribbons whirl,” while the “grass dancers sway
and weave themselves around the circle,” but River can’t “feel the
drum’s heartbeat,” and her “feet stay still.” The emcee calls for
the jingle dress dancers to enter the arena. Although River needs
the ceremonial healing dance, she can’t do it. Thankfully, River’s
friend says she will dance for her. The rows of shiny cones on the
dresses make music as the jingle dancers move: “clink, clink,
clink.” The girls “dance for the Creator, the ancestors, their
families, and everyone’s health.” Watching her sister, cousins, and
friend dance, River’s heart begins to open and conviction enters
her soul. She finally feels the drumbeat fully, but is it her time
to dance? Goodnight’s vibrant, energetic digital illustrations
capture the beauty and intricacy of powwow regalia as well as the
unique atmosphere of a powwow gathering. Together, the artwork and
text sensitively portray and celebrate a powerful ritual that
upholds the culture, healing traditions, and creative spirit of
Native American communities. No specific tribe is mentioned in the
story, though the backmatter mentions the Ponca and Omaha
tribes.
A heartwarming picture book about the roles of courage, culture,
and community in the journey of personal healing.
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
♦ When River first wakes up on tribal powwow day, she feels a surge
of excitement before remembering that there will be “no dancing./
No jingle dress competition for me./... I can’t dance like I could
before I got sick.” Attending the powwow with family, River,
portrayed with light brown skin and short hair in a marigold jingle
dress, hopes to dance Grand Entry and the intertribal dance, but is
fatigued, unfocused, and “can’t feel the drum’s heartbeat.” Yet,
watching from a nearby seat as the dancers connect to “the drum,/
Mother Earth,/ and one another,” and witnessing family and friends
participating in the girls’ jingle dance, she realizes: “They dance
for/ the Creator,/ the ancestors,/ their families,/ and everyone’s
health.../ including mine.” In sensory-focused lines, Sorell (We
Are Still Here!), who is Cherokee, creates a resonant, hopeful tale
about the healing power of community and tradition, deftly
capturing the powwow’s essence. Textural digital illustrations by
Goodnight (Look, Grandma! Ni, Elisi!), who is Chickasaw, focus on
the event’s sights and its participants’ fluid movements,
effectively conveying River’s sideline perspective and desire to
dance with her community once again. Back matter offers more
information about powwows.
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
♦ Powwow Day has arrived but River is recovering from an illness
and unable to participate in the pageantry and tradition of the
day. Little River is aching to join her family and community in the
dances but is unable to “feel” the drums and becomes discouraged at
having to remain on the sidelines. Her family and friends help
River reach the realization that they are dancing for their
community, traditions, healing, and most importantly, for her. The
author develops the plot by creating text that is rooted in feeling
and emotional connection. As a Cherokee Nation member, Sorell
infuses the story with information about various traditions and
experiences. Chickasaw Nation member Goodnight provides exquisitely
detailed illustrations that exemplify the meaning and importance of
Powwow Day. VERDICT A tender and inspiring view of Indigenous
traditions and how celebrating them can lead to healing and
redemption.
—School Library Journal, starred review
A girl recovering from illness longs to participate in her tribal
powwow in this vibrant picture book about acceptance and hope.
Delicate feathers and fringe adorn brilliant gold, pink, and
turquoise ensembles as River’s friends and family take part in
various dances and competitions, but River is still not well enough
to don her jingle dress and join them. As she watches, though, she
is reminded that the music still lives in her heart, and that she
will dance again someday.
—Foreword Reviews
In the lyrical Powwow Day, readers are welcomed into an uplifting
"celebration of dance, song, culture, and community." River wakes
on powwow day full of excitement--until she remembers that, because
she's been ill, there will be no dancing and no jingle dress
competition for her today. Still, she hopes at least to join in for
Grand Entry at the start of the ceremony. She waits with the other
girls as warriors enter the arena carrying flags, followed by
elders heading up the long line of dancers. But her own feet are
still. River watches "through wet eyes" as the dancers move "around
the circle, all connected to the drum, Mother Earth, and one
another." It seems that River is the only one who "can't feel the
drum's heartbeat." An elder prays to the Creator that their
"culture and language will stay strong, and that healing will come
to those who need it"--like River.
She tries to dance again but isn't able to take part in the
intertribal dance, either. The competitions begin and "fancy
dancers twirl and ribbons whirl./ Graceful grass dancers sway and
weave." Finally, River feels the drum beat inside her. She watches
as her sister, cousin and friends step and turn with feathery fans
and clinking cones. She sits tall as they "dance for the Creator,
the ancestors, their families, and everyone's health... including
mine." River, who can "feel the drum fully now," stands and opens
her heart--she knows she will dance again at the next powwow.
Traci Sorrell (At the Mountain's Base; We Are Still Here), member
of the Cherokee Nation, enhances her graceful text with back matter
about powwows. Through River, the author neatly conveys the magic
and allure of the dances themselves, along with the all-important
sense of community and healing fostered by the celebratory event.
Madelyn Goodnight (illustrator of Look Grandma! Ni, Elisi!), member
of the Chickasaw Nation, uses dynamic layouts and a variety of
viewpoints in her colorful digital illustrations to portray the
vibrancy of the powwow. Expressive characters in their detailed
dancing dresses are full of life and movement. Readers will likely
find it easy to empathize with River's sorrow as well as her hope
for strength, for healing and to dance again. --Lynn Becker,
reviewer, blogger and children's book author
Shelf Talker: Though River won't be dancing in the powwow, she
recognizes the healing power of her community in this lyrical and
uplifting story.
—Shelf Awareness
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