Buffalo Sunrise: The Story of a North American Giant

Jo-Anne Mary Benson’s quarterly column in Ottawa Parent magazine
focuses on books for children and parents.

The once-abundant North American buffalo came close to extinction in the
1890s. Today, this majestic creature survives in viable numbers,
particularly in northern Canada. While Diane Swanson examines the
present life of the buffalo, and the gallant efforts to ensure its
future, her focus in this well-designed, accessible book is on the
history of the animal. Buffalos were indispensable to Native North
Americans; Swanson makes this history come alive as she describes
various hunting techniques and the hundreds of ways in which buffalo
parts were used for food, shelter, clothing, and tools. She also
discusses the buffalo’s checkered career as a candidate for
cross-breeding, relocation, domestication, and Buffalo Bill’s Wild
West Show. Her book is enhanced by extensive sidebars, a wide selection
of present-day and archival photographs, and illustrations. An enjoyable
overview of a North American icon. Recommended.