Reviews

The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich

Only show reviews with written explanations

annalieegk's review

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

staciek3's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I got this for my Little Free Library, but had to read it first, because I love most everything that Louise Erdrich writes. I enjoyed all of the characters and the story was beautifully told. It's like Louise weaves a story as if it's a tapestry.

bylogan6862_'s review

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adventurous informative mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

book_concierge's review against another edition

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4.0

Book on CD narrated by Nicolle Littrell

What Laura Ingalls Wilder did for the pioneer families in 19th century plains states, Erdrich has done for the Native Americans in this same time period.

Omakayas is a seven-year-old Ojibwa girl living in Wisconsin. She is the sole survivor of a small pox epidemic when she’s taken into another family as an infant. Tallow is a strong matriarch and Omakayas (also called Little Frog), thrives in the community on Lake Superior’s Madeline Island, also known as the Island of the Golden-Breasted Woodpecker. The book follows Omakayas, her family and the tribe through four seasons of 1847.

I was fascinated by this story of the life of the Native Americans during this time period. I learned about the hard work of tanning hides, the craft of decorating special garments with intricate beadwork, the cycles of hunting and gathering, and the dangers (and joys) of living so close to nature.

Omakayas is a wonderful narrator – inquisitive, observant, intelligent, and compassionate. She’s also a typical seven year old – sometimes a little naughty, and not always understanding the reasons why she is asked to perform certain tasks, or forbidden from other adventures. I can see why this is sometimes taught in social studies classes for middle-grade students.

Erdrich is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwa, and she spoke to various Ojibwa elders about the significance of Madeline Island. Events depicted are historically accurate (including a documented small pox epidemic). The text version includes Erdrich’s pencil drawing illustrations.

Nicolle Littrell does a fine job performing the audio version. She has good pacing and the book is clearly understandable for even younger readers.

sunflower_badger's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

timna_wyckoff's review against another edition

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4.0

Read for 3rd grade book club. I liked it, but as a fan of Erdrich's "grown-up" books, I missed some of the intensity that was (appropriately) missing in this book for younger readers. That said, this book did have many hallmarks of Erdrich's other novels (well-written, important cultural details and history), and was a great choice for book club.

the_herbal_carnivore's review against another edition

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4.0

We very much enjoyed this story as a read-aloud! It was so good to follow along the seasonal story of the Ojibwa - each season is filled with so much life. Learning about how life quite possibly would have been for Native Americans in the mid-1800s was intriguing and left us with curiosity and wonder. And the little pictures throughout were a nice addition. I much preferred this one over the little house in the big woods. We're looking forward to book two!