Sitting Bull's Tomahawk, Vol. 9

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

The story of this Sioux chief, how he got his name and how he became a great leader are presented with lots of commentary from Digby and Hannah. They raise issues now addressed in studying the treatment of Native Americans—their displacements, their treatment by an untrustworthy government and the deplorable conditions they were reduced to. Sitting Bull became the last great chief to give in to the American government, and he did it to save his people. The story is not a pretty one, and it is particularly poignant to read the quotes from this great leader on one of the closing pages. This series, "Stories of Great People," is set up with a sister and brother team (Digby and Hannah) who visit the Knicknack Market and its vendors. One of them, Mr. Rummage has a "disorderly jumble of things"—all of which fascinate Digby. These objects serve as the lead in to a story about a famous person. The factual accounts are interspersed with reactions from the kids and the book is liberally illustrated. It has a table of contents, index, brief glossary and introduction to the cast of characters. The design and format are more likely to get kids reading than are most biographies for this age group. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot