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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I remember this from when I read it back as a child. It is a good book for young children.
This is the only book I have ever thrown across the room, it made me so angry. To many people, it's a beloved childhood story, but it is so full of stereotypes of Native Americans - they don't speak broken English the way Little Bear speaks in the story - they never did. Many historical testimonies exist of how well and quickly early Native Americans were able to learn English. They spoke it just as well, if not better, than native English speakers. Oratory was a very important part of Native American culture, and you can find well-known Native speeches online or at your local library that are very eloquent, and well beyond "Me little. You big." It makes me so angry to see Native Americans depicted in such a cartoonish way. I am not Native, but I know many who are, and I've grown up around their culture, specifically Lakota ( which means "friend" in their own language. They're not Sioux, which is the French rendering of the Ojibwa word for "enemy"). I'd recommend watching the film instead. It's much more realistic and meaningful. The end moved me to tears. I encourage anyone who doesn't see this as racist to learn about Native American history and the many cultures, tribes, and nations that lived, and still live here. Go meet some real Iroquois. Open your eyes. I could go on about the various other ways this book is racist, but then this review would become a book itself. Too many people know very little about Native Americans, which is why racism towards them still goes mostly unnoticed. Learn about their own culture and stories and appreciate them. That is how we end racism.
The boys and I all loved this one. I'm getting the next in the series for them for Christmas.
It was what I remembered, and my goal this year is to read only what I’m enjoying.
Cute story. I didn’t really remember any of it from my childhood. Although my 10 year old daughter said it was boring, it kept her attention and she let me read the whole thing to her. I noticed she got jumpy in the last couple chapters. At the end she said it was sad. Overall, it was well written and encouraged us to use our imagination.
I've read this book aloud to a group of third graders when I was a newbie teacher (i.e. twenty years ago), and they loved it. I just finished reading it again to another set of third graders and once again, it didn't disappoint. This is a highly engaging story about two friends with a secret-their "plas-tick" cowboy and Indian (and any other "plas-tick" figure)can come to life with the turn of a key in a cupboard. It's a story about friendship and what is truly important in life. Kids love this timeless, imaginative tale and each chapter leaves them wanting more. Isn't that what we want from our young readers?
That's why I was disappointed to see some reviewers vehemently discouraging teachers to pick it up and read it aloud. Why, you might ask? Apparently, Lynne Reid Banks' depiction of Little Bear is unfavorable and insensitive. Have we gone so far around the bend as to actually discourage kids from reading or having a book read to them simply because the book (published in 1980) has references to "the red man?" Remember, folks, it was written when the American consciousness didn't blink when cheering for the "Washington Redskins." My class did discuss some of Little Bear's comments, for sure, which added a depth to the book that would be sorely lacking if we had not. But to not read it because of those few references?
We live in a strange world now, indeed.
Highly recommended.
That's why I was disappointed to see some reviewers vehemently discouraging teachers to pick it up and read it aloud. Why, you might ask? Apparently, Lynne Reid Banks' depiction of Little Bear is unfavorable and insensitive. Have we gone so far around the bend as to actually discourage kids from reading or having a book read to them simply because the book (published in 1980) has references to "the red man?" Remember, folks, it was written when the American consciousness didn't blink when cheering for the "Washington Redskins." My class did discuss some of Little Bear's comments, for sure, which added a depth to the book that would be sorely lacking if we had not. But to not read it because of those few references?
We live in a strange world now, indeed.
Highly recommended.
As a child, anything that had to do with talking dolls just fascinated me. I've always struggled to really grasp the idea that inanimate objects don't have any sort of subjectivity. I guess this comes from being an only child, and I guess this is why my garage is full of Cabbage Patch Kids that I can't seem throw away. Anyway, this series of books is funny, but also really touching. The relationship between Omri and Little Bear always gets to me.