Maria Montoya Martinez: Master Potter

This is a delightful book. Maria is a pueblo Indian girl born at the end of the 19th Century. After recovering from a near fatal bout of smallpox her family takes her on a pilgrimage to thank Santo Nino. It is no small thing for a 10-11yr old girl to walk the ten miles necessary for completion of this task. The theme of the earth and how it draws her to love the art of pottery-making hangs in the backdrop of her life story. She marries, is a sensation at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, and through the decades is sought out by hundreds (thousands?) who have heard of her work. She is even known to the first ladies of several United States administrations. I hesitate to tell any more as this is such a pleasant read and it is best not to spoil its' beauty. I recommend the book for grades 3-8 and it would make a nice read-aloud even at the kindergarten or first grade level if you have an attentive listener. The art work consists of B/W drawings which are a good adjunct to the story but truly only four star work. They are not of the same caliber as the story. I bought the book used since it was a gamble at the time. However, it is a book I would not hesitate to gift in the future and is an excellent resource for grade-school studies of American Indians. I would hope that the importance of Maria's religious faith in the first part of the book would not deter anyone from learning about her long and illustrious career and success in the Native American Indian art of pottery. I found her story inspiring.