Shota and the Star Quilt

A young Lakota Sioux child learns about quilting, community and the potential of a single act of kindness. The illustrations are rich in color and bring the story to life. The Sioux text, which was included with the English, was intriguing. The people of the Pine Ridge Reservation of South Dakota are seeking copies to be giving to impoverished children. Please contribute via the Friends of the Pine Ridge Reservation web site.

This is a wonderful book. Whereas most children's literature dealing with Native themes show Native people as existing only in the past, this book shows modern Native people in both urban and reservation settings. The relationship between Shota and her best friend, Esther (who is white), is nicely presented, as are the parallels between the two grandmothers. The drawings are wonderful. The text is presented in both English and Lakota (Sioux), which is very important not only for speakers of Lakota, but so that non-Native children understand that Lakota people have a Lakota language. What is so outstanding about this book is that it shows adults taking the children seriously. It empowers even young children because it shows that children are capable of finding solutions to problems even when adults are unable to do so. My children also really liked that all of the tenants in the apartment building where Shota and Esther lived were able to band together against the landlord who was threatening to demolish their building. We are a Native family with dozens of children's Native titles, and this is consistently on our "Top Five!" It has been an honor and a pleasure to be able to share this title with other families and with my children's classmates at school.