Navajo Wedding Day: A Dine Marriage Ceremony

From School Library Journal
Grade 2-5-A marvelous presentation of an occasion that is important in any culture. A young Caucasian girl and her family are invited to attend a traditional Navajo wedding. Throughout the day, the bride's family makes them feel welcome, explaining what is happening and why. As the girl describes the sights, people, and events, readers are also made to feel welcome. The writing is clear and simple. The colored-pencil illustrations are soft and unassuming, yet beautiful and informative. They realistically depict the desert landscape, the buildings, and the characters and their activities, bringing the story to life. The narrative concentrates on the traditions being followed, but the illustrations make it clear that these are contemporary people. A good choice for all collections.Darcy Schild, Schwegler Elementary School, Lawrence, KSCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Schick, author of Navajo ABC (1995) and My Navajo Sister (1996) returns to Navajo country with this detailed look at a Dinemarriage ceremony. The unnamed narrator, a young girl who is best friends with the bride's cousin, describes the day's events. They range from the preparation for the wedding feast by the bride's family to the evening wedding ceremony in a six-sided hogan. Although the jacket's flap copy states that the narrator "isn't Navajo," that is not clear in the body of the story. Most of the information is conveyed through direct exposition. There's too much explanation of events ("The basket is the most important part of the ceremony. . ."), which makes the choice of a fictional framework questionable. Despite these shortcomings, the realistically detailed colored-pencil drawings capture the mountainous desert terrain of the Southwest and the lifestyles of the peoples who live there. There are still very few books about contemporary Native Americans; this one should be of particular interest to libraries in the Four Corners region. Julie Corsaro

Card catalog description
When a young girl attends the wedding of her best friend's cousin, she learns many things about the customs of the Navajo Indians living in the American Southwest.


Buy from Amazon     Compare Prices

Gr 2-5-A marvelous presentation of an occasion that is important in any culture. A young Caucasian girl and her family are invited to attend a traditional Navajo wedding. Throughout the day, the bride's family makes them feel welcome, explaining what is happening and why. As the girl describes the sights, people, and events, readers are also made to feel welcome. The writing is clear and simple. The colored-pencil illustrations are soft and unassuming, yet beautiful and informative. They realistically depict the desert landscape, the buildings, and the characters and their activities, bringing the story to life. The narrative concentrates on the traditions being followed, but the illustrations make it clear that these are contemporary people. A good choice for all collections.-Darcy Schild, Schwegler Elementary School, Lawrence, KS


Buy from Barnes & Noble     Compare Prices