The Birchbark House

Rating:
Summary: A different kind of little house in the big woods
Review: A great tale. Author Louise Erdrich, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwa, has written a story of 1847 Ojibwa life. The book is truly a labor of love, including such amazing elements as a detailed map of the area in which her story takes place, a glossary of terms, and multiple sources considered during the writing of this tale. Even more, the book is a compact series of small vignettes of standard Ojibwa life, crushing stereotypes and myths with sure swift prose. Erdrich has written a story that has truly created its own separate niche.

Omakayas (or Little Frog) lives in a sturdy birchbark house in a land doomed one day to become Wisconsin. With her family we see her step through the paces of day to day existence. The book encompasses a single year in Omakayas's life; one filled with as much terror and despair as love and hope. Helping her family to battle smallpox, find food in a desperate winter, and deal with the small details imperative to survival, we watch Omakayas grow from an uncertain young girl to a competent, if still learning, young woman.

The book is almost an answer to the Laura Ingels Wilder tales. Truth be told, the two titles have much in common. Both deal implicitly with Native American/white settler relations. Both look at the details of daily life, realistically describing everything from food preparation to parties. Even the illustrations of the book (drawn by author Erdrich herself) bear a great resemblance to the Garth Williams' pics we remember so well from the Little House books. But Erdrich has the benefit of hindsight and (let's face it) superior knowledge concerning the ways of both the whites and the Ojibwa. Her writing expertly allows her to create interesting variegated personalities that trump the one-dimensional stick figure Indians Wilder relied on so heavily. These characters have a harsh, but really great life. There's the buffoon, Albert LaPautre (half French) who continually claims to have had meaningful visions and dreams. There's Old Tallow, a powerful woman of her own means, surrounded by a pack of wolf-dogs and wearing coats woven from a variety of different furs. And then there's Omakayas herself, dreaming true visions and meeting true woodland creatures, even going so far as to train a crow of her own.

The books ends with this sentence, "Omakayas tucked her hands behind her head, lay back, closed her eyes, and smiled as the song of the white-throated sparrow sank again and again through the air like a shining needle, and sewed up her broken heart". It's an ending that contains a lot of hope for the future. Erdrich does not dwell on the fate that may lay in store for Omakayas and her beloved family. We know what will happen. It's enough to see them happy at this moment alone. "The Birchbark House" is a courageous creation, one that I'm certain will please even the most merciless of Erdrich's critics. Full of well rounded characters, a gripping plot, and wonderful tangents it's one of the best ways to introduce kids to a different time and place.

Rating:
Summary: A different kind of little house in the big woods
Review: A great tale. Author Louise Erdrich, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwa, has written a story of 1847 Ojibwa life. The book is truly a labor of love, including such amazing elements as a detailed map of the area in which her story takes place, a glossary of terms, and multiple sources considered during the writing of this tale. Even more, the book is a compact series of small vignettes of standard Ojibwa life, crushing stereotypes and myths with sure swift prose. Erdrich has written a story that has truly created its own separate niche.

Omakayas (or Little Frog) lives in a sturdy birchbark house in a land doomed one day to become Wisconsin. With her family we see her step through the paces of day to day existence. The book encompasses a single year in Omakayas's life; one filled with as much terror and despair as love and hope. Helping her family to battle smallpox, find food in a desperate winter, and deal with the small details imperative to survival, we watch Omakayas grow from an uncertain young girl to a competent, if still learning, young woman.

The book is almost an answer to the Laura Ingels Wilder tales. Truth be told, the two titles have much in common. Both deal implicitly with Native American/white settler relations. Both look at the details of daily life, realistically describing everything from food preparation to parties. Even the illustrations of the book (drawn by author Erdrich herself) bear a great resemblance to the Garth Williams' pics we remember so well from the Little House books. But Erdrich has the benefit of hindsight and (let's face it) superior knowledge concerning the ways of both the whites and the Ojibwa. Her writing expertly allows her to create interesting variegated personalities that trump the one-dimensional stick figure Indians Wilder relied on so heavily. These characters have a harsh, but really great life. There's the buffoon, Albert LaPautre (half French) who continually claims to have had meaningful visions and dreams. There's Old Tallow, a powerful woman of her own means, surrounded by a pack of wolf-dogs and wearing coats woven from a variety of different furs. And then there's Omakayas herself, dreaming true visions and meeting true woodland creatures, even going so far as to train a crow of her own.

The books ends with this sentence, "Omakayas tucked her hands behind her head, lay back, closed her eyes, and smiled as the song of the white-throated sparrow sank again and again through the air like a shining needle, and sewed up her broken heart". It's an ending that contains a lot of hope for the future. Erdrich does not dwell on the fate that may lay in store for Omakayas and her beloved family. We know what will happen. It's enough to see them happy at this moment alone. "The Birchbark House" is a courageous creation, one that I'm certain will please even the most merciless of Erdrich's critics. Full of well rounded characters, a gripping plot, and wonderful tangents it's one of the best ways to introduce kids to a different time and place.

Rating:
Summary: Everybody should read this wonderful book.
Review: The Birchbark House was a good book and I think Louise Erdrich is a wonderful author and illustrator. The part I liked the most was when the main character's, Omakayas, grandmother told her a story in the winter. It was about her grandmother when she was a little girl. A sad event in the book was when the visitor came and brought smallpox to the village. It was also sad when Omakayas's little brother died. All in all, everybody should read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: This was a very special book. I read it aloud to my children, ages 9, 7 and 5 and each of them loved it. The Birchbark House was touching, exciting, funny, and interesting. I came to this site hoping that Louise Erdrich had already written another book about this family, but it doesn't appear that she has. Hopefully soon!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: This was a very special book. I read it aloud to my children, ages 9, 7 and 5 and each of them loved it. The Birchbark House was touching, exciting, funny, and interesting. I came to this site hoping that Louise Erdrich had already written another book about this family, but it doesn't appear that she has. Hopefully soon!