If you love sharing with your kids about Lakota culture or have wanted to do so but weren't sure how to start, you're going to be so excited about The Animals Speak: The Lakota Way. It's so kid-friendly with colorful illustrations and I'm happy to share about it. Thank you to Abrams Books for sending me a press copy of The Animals Speak: The Lakota Way to read and review.
Who wrote and illustrated The Animals Speak: The Lakota Way?
The Animals Speak: The Lakota Way was written and illustrated by S.D. Nelson. He is renowned artist with his original works displayed everywhere from the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian to the South Dakota State Historical Society. He is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and currently lives in Arizona.
You can learn more about Nelson and his work on his official author website.
The Animals Speak: The Lakota Way is published by Abrams Books.
Inside The Animals Speak: The Lakota Way
The butterfly was my girls' favorite page, while I really loved the turtle illustration. Based on reading it with my kids, I most recommend it for early elementary age readers, but even babies would enjoy the colorful illustrations. It's fun to read on its own, but it'd also definitely be worthwhile for any Siouxland teacher or parent who is introducing local culture as part of their social studies curriculum. It'd be such a fun and easy lesson to read the book and then have kids create their own artwork and writing project about their favorite animal and a lesson that could be learned from it!
I really enjoyed the illustrations, and I thought Nelson did a great job with the writing. It's so hard to stay concise in a kids' book while also sharing all the ideas you'd like to, and I thought what he ended up with was very effective. Plus, the format means it'd be easy to read a bit at a time rather than all at once, especially if you have a younger reader who doesn't want to sit still long enough to read the whole thing in one go.
Get your copy of The Animals Speak: The Lakota Way
It appears to be out of stock in all local brick & mortar stores in Sioux City at time of posting this review, but available at the Sioux Falls Barnes & Noble. The Sioux City Public Library has 4 other titles by Nelson or with illustrations by Nelson if you'd like to read some of his other works while you wait for this book to restock!
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