Nations of the Plains

Mary St. Onge-Davidson is president of the Essential English Centre in
Ottawa.

This exciting new series about the Indigenous peoples of North America
focuses on the geographical areas in which different groups live, their
language, history, village life, and home life. The books are the result
of extensive research involving Native writers and consultants. Each
volume features detailed illustrations and maps, and is filled with
examples of daily life and cultural heritage. Important terms are
emphasized in bold type throughout the text and defined in a glossary.

Life in a Longhouse Village looks at the Algonkian and Iroquoian
peoples of North America’s northeastern woodlands region, who belonged
to clans and grew crops. Life in a Plains Camp shows the nomadic life of
the people of the prairies who hunted buffalo to survive. Nations of the
Plains explores the cultural differences between the prairie tribes and
how their lives were affected by the arrival of European settlers.
Native Homes is a fascinating look at the different types of dwellings
that Native people built all over the continent.

Although Bobbie Kalman’s books are written with specific curriculum
needs in mind, the organization of well-researched material, the
detailed and colorful artwork, and the interesting subject matter will
have children of all ages enjoying these volumes and anxiously awaiting
the next ones in the series. Highly recommended.