The Basket Maker and the Spinner

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8 Teachers are always looking for interesting, new ideas for units on native Americans. Here is a book to fill the bill. Siegel introduces readers first to Yawata, a Wampanoag Indian, and her basket-making talents and then to Mary Ellen, a settler skilled in the art of spinning. Through these two strong New England women, readers learn not only of their crafts but also of their cultures. Yawata loves the land and lives in harmony with it, although she is threatened by the settlers' advancements. Mary Ellen loves the land, too, because it is hers: ``Her colonial neighbors enjoyed the same feeling of private ownership: the land and its fruits and berries were theirs.'' Details of the processes and materials necessary to basket making and spinning are clarified through the conscientious illustrations of native American artist Bock. Drawings of the finished products will aid young researchers. A useful book in support of units on colonial and native American lifestyles, values, and art. Appended is the Wampanoag calendar. Cynthia Dobrez, Grand Haven Junior High School, Mich.