6
Feb
Chickadee
Chickadee
by Louise Erdrich
Find it at: Your library | Amazon | IndieBound
Published: HarperCollins (August 21, 2012)
Recommend Reading Age: 8 & up
In a nutshell: I have not yet had the privilege to read all the books of Louise Erdrich’s Birchbark House Series, but I did have the pleasure of reading the series’ latest installment, Chickadee. Cover to cover. In one sitting. Can’t remember the last time that happened.
It’s 1866 on the homeland of the Dakota People, Chickadee and Makoons (little bear) are twins of the Ojibwe tribe named after their namesakes who protected them after birth. After being made fun of by the tribe’s grumpy old man, Zhigaag, for having a “weak name”, Chickadee feels ashamed and wishes he had a name better fit for the mighty warrior he hopes to become. To avenge Chickadee’s honor, Makoons plays a trick on the old man in his sleep, a prank which in turn makes Zhigaag the laughing stock of the tribe. But when Zhigaag’s big, boorish, and dimwitted sons learn of Makoons’ little trick, they devise a plan hoping to have the last laugh.
What I loved most about this book was that I felt transported back in time to 1866 on the Great Plains. Erdrich’s lush description and immersion in Ojibwe story were delicately woven together in a historical novel for children that draws no comparison. Cross my heart. It’s beautiful.
And it’s under the extreme circumstance Chickadee is faced with that he eventually finds he has more power within him than he original thought a boy with a Chickadee namesake had. A story of family, hope, and truth, Chickadee touched my heart and had me rooting for him until the very end.
Don’t take my word for it: “In “Chickadee”, Erdrich has written a richly detailed tale of survival and family that will delight and entice readers both young and old… the entire series is a delight and should not be missed.” – review from Lost in a Great Book
Source of the book reviewed: my local library!
