Broken Feather

By Verla Kay

Broken Feather's homeland is a wonderful place. It's full of natural beauty, proud tribesmen, and fish just waiting to be caught. But then white men appear.At first they just pass through, but when they begin to clear land and build houses, even Broken Feather can tell trouble is brewing. It culminates in a battle the tribe loses, but even though they are forced onto a reservation, Broken Feather's pride in his heritage remains strong.Inspired by the history of the Nez Perce tribe, Verla Kay's sensitive treatment of this difficult period is perfectly complemented by Stephen Alcorn's dramatic, stylized artwork."

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399235507
• ISBN13: 9780399235504
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 7.6" x 10.2"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Kindergarten to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Poignant rhyme, Difficult time

Verla Kay's pristine "cryptic rhyme" captures the grace of a fallen nation. Told through exuberant Broken Feather's experiences, the Europeans expansion into Nez Perce's relegation to reservations, the prose captures glimpses into a time past. Stephen Alcorn's illustrations are earthy, textural and spiritual all at once. Words, colored images, text and textures all mesh to tell the tale. In Kay's own words, she hopes to "show the experience and some of the joy and pride of the Nez Perce" and a little bit the Native American experience of European expansion. Great reading for beginners to anyone who loves picture books!