This Land Is My Land

Bold in size, color and image, this book constitutes a stunning gallery of art by a Native American of singular vision. Through mixed-media paintings featuring collage, traditional motifs, stylized figures and a vibrant Matisse-like palette, Littlechild knits his personal stories together with the histories of his forebears (the Plains Cree) and other Native American peoples. The accompanying large-print text is broken down into 17 brief, reflective essays that interpret symbols, introduce the artist's guiding ancestors and document the struggles that have brought Native Americans to their contemporary culture. Childlike in their joy and wondrous appreciation, yet wise in the way of ancestors who lived through oppression and dismantled lives, this volume offers itself as a bridge between the past's pain and the future's potential. Ages 6-up. (Oct.)