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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Brings me back to 5th grade. Good book. It was published the year I was born.
I hadn’t thought about this book in years, and then my sister mentioned it to me and it brought back a flood of memories. She said it had been banned, and she wasn’t sure if she should read it with her son, so of course I dashed in to read it as tribute.
It was such a charming story. You can see almost instantly how the child cares for his new friend, works through his preconceived notions, stands up for him, treats him like a human, and sees the bigger picture all throughout the story.
I highly recommend this one.
It was such a charming story. You can see almost instantly how the child cares for his new friend, works through his preconceived notions, stands up for him, treats him like a human, and sees the bigger picture all throughout the story.
I highly recommend this one.
I would not recommend this book for children unless you were going to point out to them how racist this book is!
The Indian in the Cupboard is a classic novel that has been read in many classrooms since it was published in 1980. The tale of Omri’s toy Indian coming to life when locked inside the metal cupboard is a fun, magical read for all. However, Bank’s portrayal of Omri’s Indian, Little Bear, is where the problems begin to arise. The representation of Little Bear in The Indian in the Cupboard affirms popular, racist portrayals of Native Americans. Little Bear is a stereotypical looking plastic figurine and when he comes to life, he is every Native American stereotype brought to life as well.
When the reader is first introduced to Little Bear we are led to believe that he cannot talk because he does not reply to any of Omri’s questions. When Omri finally asks the Indian if he can speak English, Little Bear’s response is “I speak slowly,” (pg. 11) and continues to use short hand phrases such as “I like,” (pg. 23) and “too big…give meat” (pg. 25), etc. Little Bear speaks broken or pidgin English throughout the entire novel which is a very common stereotype for Native Americans characters throughout books, movies, and television shows. Because of Little Bear’s inability to master English, he becomes viewed as unintelligent and inferior to Omri, who is white and can speak English fluently.
Little Bear is depicted as a brave warrior who is ready to fight anything that comes in his way without even flinching (even a giant boy). Little Bear gloats to Omri of how he skinned thirty men’s heads while fighting against the French and one of the first things he wants from Omri, besides meat, is weapons―a bow and arrows. Multiple times throughout the text Little Bear’s willingness to fight comes off as violent. We are first shown this when Little Bear attacks the cowboy during the middle of night and the next day when he repeatedly stabs Omri on his hip with his hunting knife. Little Bear’s character shows the common perception of Native Americans being violent and wreaking havoc on everyone around them, instead of being portrayed as defending themselves. This is a huge stereotype that is commonly seen throughout movies and shows that the author, Lynne Reid Banks, plays into quite naturally.
Another stereotype of Little Bear, which the book is practically based entirely around, is an Indian’s natural hatred of a cowboy. Even before Little Bear and Boone are brought to life the reader is told on the second page that in order to play with an Indian you need a cowboy so they can fight one another. Once Little Bear and Boone come alive, with no thought required, they become natural enemies. However, Little Bear is from the 1700s and as revealed later in the book, he has never seen the typical cowboy which Boone represents. When Boone draws the picture in Omri’s art class of the town that he is from, Little Bear comments saying that it isn’t a real place (pg. 163). Little Bear replies in this way because he lived before the cowboys had established themselves out west with their towns consisting of saloons and jails in the late 1800s (Boone is from 1889). The author places the characters against each other as natural born rivals even though Little Bear has no context to have this expected hatred towards a cowboy. The pinning of these two characters against one another draws on a one-sided view of history that has become acceptable in American culture.
The Indian in the Cupboard is a classic novel that has been read in many classrooms since it was published in 1980. The tale of Omri’s toy Indian coming to life when locked inside the metal cupboard is a fun, magical read for all. However, Bank’s portrayal of Omri’s Indian, Little Bear, is where the problems begin to arise. The representation of Little Bear in The Indian in the Cupboard affirms popular, racist portrayals of Native Americans. Little Bear is a stereotypical looking plastic figurine and when he comes to life, he is every Native American stereotype brought to life as well.
When the reader is first introduced to Little Bear we are led to believe that he cannot talk because he does not reply to any of Omri’s questions. When Omri finally asks the Indian if he can speak English, Little Bear’s response is “I speak slowly,” (pg. 11) and continues to use short hand phrases such as “I like,” (pg. 23) and “too big…give meat” (pg. 25), etc. Little Bear speaks broken or pidgin English throughout the entire novel which is a very common stereotype for Native Americans characters throughout books, movies, and television shows. Because of Little Bear’s inability to master English, he becomes viewed as unintelligent and inferior to Omri, who is white and can speak English fluently.
Little Bear is depicted as a brave warrior who is ready to fight anything that comes in his way without even flinching (even a giant boy). Little Bear gloats to Omri of how he skinned thirty men’s heads while fighting against the French and one of the first things he wants from Omri, besides meat, is weapons―a bow and arrows. Multiple times throughout the text Little Bear’s willingness to fight comes off as violent. We are first shown this when Little Bear attacks the cowboy during the middle of night and the next day when he repeatedly stabs Omri on his hip with his hunting knife. Little Bear’s character shows the common perception of Native Americans being violent and wreaking havoc on everyone around them, instead of being portrayed as defending themselves. This is a huge stereotype that is commonly seen throughout movies and shows that the author, Lynne Reid Banks, plays into quite naturally.
Another stereotype of Little Bear, which the book is practically based entirely around, is an Indian’s natural hatred of a cowboy. Even before Little Bear and Boone are brought to life the reader is told on the second page that in order to play with an Indian you need a cowboy so they can fight one another. Once Little Bear and Boone come alive, with no thought required, they become natural enemies. However, Little Bear is from the 1700s and as revealed later in the book, he has never seen the typical cowboy which Boone represents. When Boone draws the picture in Omri’s art class of the town that he is from, Little Bear comments saying that it isn’t a real place (pg. 163). Little Bear replies in this way because he lived before the cowboys had established themselves out west with their towns consisting of saloons and jails in the late 1800s (Boone is from 1889). The author places the characters against each other as natural born rivals even though Little Bear has no context to have this expected hatred towards a cowboy. The pinning of these two characters against one another draws on a one-sided view of history that has become acceptable in American culture.
Reading this to my 8 year old. Got to page 100 before the book was due and there was a hold on it so couldn't renew. Ordered our own copy and will continue when it comes in.
I vaguely remember reading this as a kid but I as a re-read, I didn't remember any of the plot direction so it was all new to me. I enjoyed it okay.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
My 8 year old son and I really enjoyed this book, and once again, I'm relishing in the experience of sharing something with my son that was a part of my own childhood. This story is one of magic and wonder, and growing up as well-- learning to respect other people, essentially, on so many levels. The adventure level was just perfect for my son, and even though we took a little hiatus for a while, it was easy to jump right back into the story.
I read this with my 4-year-old, and we both said it was ok but not great.