Search results for ""Author S. D. Nelson""

A young girl spends the summer at her grandmother’s home in Standing Rock Reservation in this heartwarming family story from acclaimed author-artist S. D. Nelson Now that Clara is almost in third grade, she’s finally old enough to spend her first summer away from home visiting her grandma, Unci, and her cousin at their home in Standing Rock Reservation. To welcome her visit, Uncle Louie brings an extra-special surprise in his pickup truck: the tipi that’s been passed down through their family for generations. The girls learn how to stack the poles and wrap the canvas covering around them, how to paint spirit pictures on its walls, and how the circle of the tipi tells its own story, reminding us to how to live in the great Circle of Life.Over long days spent playing outside, doing beadwork together, tellinag stories, singing songs, and sleeping under the stars, the tipi brings the family closer together. As summer draws to an end, goodbye comes all too soon, but Clara will always cling to the memories of summer days and starry nights . . . and Grandma’s tipi.

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This biographical account of Sitting Bull, the legendary Lakota/Sioux chief, follows him from childhood to adulthood. He killed his first buffalo at age 10; at age 14, he earned his first eagle feather after counting coup (winning prestige through acts of bravery) on an enemy. In honor of his accomplishment, his father gave him the name Sitting Bull, a name that represents his resolve and ability to stand his ground. Sitting Bull grew as a leader and warrior, finally coming to be named war chief, leader of the entire Sioux nation (a title never bestowed on anyone before). He led his people in many battles against the Wasichus (or white man) including the Battles of Killdeer Mountain and the Little Bighorn and became one of the most important figures in Lakota and American history. He and Crazy Horse were the last Lakota/Sioux to surrender their people to the US government and resort to living on a reservation. He was killed by his own people who were Indian Agency police on the reservation. Includes note about the Lakota and ledger art, a timeline, bibliography, and index.

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Coyote, the trickster in Native American lore, doesn't care that it's Christmas - he just cares that he's hungry. In order to trick a family out of their Christmas dinner, Coyote dresses up as Father Christmas and offers a sack full of straw for presents in return for a warm meal. Imagine his surprise when his sack turns in to the perfect gifts - and the trickster becomes the tricked! Based on traditional Native American stories about the trickster Coyote, and illustrated by the unique S.D. Nelson, this is a perfect Christmas story.

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Pickup trucks and eagles, yellow school buses and painted horses, Mother Earth and Sister Meadowlark all join together to greet the dawn. They marvel at the colours and sounds, smells and memories that dawn creates. Animals and humans alike turn their faces upwards and gaze as the sun makes its daily journey from horizon to horizon. Dawn is a time to celebrate with a smiling heart, to start a new day in the right way, excited for what might come. Birds sing and dance, children rush to learn, dewdrops glisten from leaves, and gradually the sun warms us. Each time the sun starts a new circle, we can start again as well. All these things are part of the Lakota way, a means of living in balance. S. D. Nelson offers young readers wonder and happiness as a better way of appreciating their culture and surroundings. He draws inspiration from traditional stories to create Greet the Dawn. His artwork fuses elements of modern with traditional. Above all, he urges each of us to seize the opportunity that dawn offers each day.

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Told from a Native American point of view, Black Elk’s Vision provides a unique perspective on American history. From recounting the visions Black Elk had as a young boy, to his involvement in the battles of Little Big Horn and Wounded Knee, as well as his journeys to New York City and Europe with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, this biographical account of Black Elk—an Oglala Lakota medicine man who lived from 1863 to 1950—follows him from childhood through adulthood.

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With photographs and stunning illustrations from acclaimed author-artist S.D. Nelson, this thrilling double biography juxtaposes the lives of two enemies whose conflict changed American history: Crazy Horse and George Custer In 1876, Lakota chief Crazy Horse helped lead his people’s resistance against the white man’s invasion of the northern Great Plains. One of the leaders of the US military forces was Army Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer. The men had long been enemies. At the height of the war, when tribalism had reached its peak, they crossed paths for the last time. In this action-packed double biography, S. D. Nelson draws fascinating parallels between Crazy Horse and Custer, whose lives were intertwined. These warriors were alike in many ways, yet they often collided in deadly rivalry. Witness reports and reflections by their peers and enemies accompany side-by-side storytelling that offers very different perspectives on the same historical events. The two men’s opposing destinies culminated in the infamous Battle of the Greasy Grass, as the Lakota called it, or the Battle of the Little Bighorn, as it was called by the Euro-Americans. In Crazy Horse and Custer, Nelson’s gripping narrative and signature illustration style based on Plains Indians ledger art, along with a mix of period photographs and paintings, shines light on two men whose conflict forever changed Lakota and US history. The book includes an author’s note, timeline, endnotes, and bibliography.

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The award-winning author and illustrator of Black Elk’s Vision and Sitting Bull continues his picture-book biography series with Red Cloud, the story of one of the most controversial leaders in Native American history. A leader among the Lakota during the 1860s, Chief Red Cloud deeply opposed white expansion into Native American territory. He rejected treaties from the U.S. government and instead united the warriors of the Lakota and nearby tribes, becoming the only Native American to win a war against the U.S. Army. Despite his military successes, Red Cloud recognized that continued conflict would only bring destruction to his people. He made the controversial decision to make an agreement with the U.S. government, and moved his people to a reservation. The effects of his decision—as well as the conflicts that arose from those who rejected the agreement and continued fighting against white expansion, such as Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull—shaped much of the history of Native American relations with the U.S. in years to come. Featuring archival images and S. D. Nelson’s stunning illustrations, Red Cloud offers an authentic Native American perspective on one of the most pivotal eras of American history. S. D. Nelson has received praise and honor for his works. His book Sitting Bull received an American Indian Youth Literature Honor Award. Black Elk’s Vision made the prestigious Texas Bluebonnet Master List and The Star People earned a Western Spur award.

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At 12 years old, Conall has already worked in the coal mines of West Virginia for two years. He spends his days deep underground with his faithful mule, Angel, carting loads of coal back and forth between the coal seams and the main shaft, where elevators take the coal up to the surface. One day a tunnel collapses, and his brother is trapped with others on the wrong side! How can Conall and Angel help to save them?Mixing archival images with his original artwork, in this historical fiction picture book acclaimed author and illustrator S. D. Nelson gives voice to the poverty, grueling labor, and dangerous conditions experienced by child laborers across our nation in the past, echoing conditions today, especially for migrant fieldworkers.Praise for Digging a Hole to Heaven "Nelson’s acrylic-paint illustrations are gritty and realistic; more evocative still are the historical photographs that appear on nearly every page. A useful and thorough piece of work combining fiction and nonfiction, with an extensive author’s note detailing the history of coal mining." --Kirkus Reviews

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This biographical account of Black Elk - a Lakota/Oglala medicine man - follows him from childhood all the way through adulthood. His story begins with visions he had as a young boy. He was four years old when he first heard spirit voices. A year later he heard and saw the spirits. Then, when he was nine, another vision occured when Cloud People led him to the Six Grandfathers who pass him two things and tell him a valuable lesson: the cup of water has the power to give life and a bow and arrow has the power to destroy. Readers will follow Black Elk through his trials and tribulations of life on the villages to being a part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, to his fighting in the Battle of Wounded Knee. A unique perspective for American history, told from the Native American point of view, not the white man's. Complete with archival images, a bibliography and S. D. Nelson's signature art.

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This fascinating picture book biography tells the childhood story of Buffalo Bird Woman—a Hidatsa Indian born around 1839. Through her true story, readers learn what it was like to be part of this Native American community, which lived along the Missouri River in the Dakotas, a society that depended on agriculture for food and survival rather than hunting. Using original artwork and archival photographs, award-winning author/illustrator S. D. Nelson has captured the spirit of Buffalo Bird Girl and her lost way of life. The book includes a bibliography and an index, as well as an author’s note and timeline of events.

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This fascinating picture book biography tells the childhood story of Buffalo Bird Woman, a Hidatsa Indian born around 1839. Through her true story, readers will learn what it was like to be part of this Native American community that lived along the Missouri River in the Dakotas, a society that depended more on agriculture for food and survival than on hunting. Children will relate to Buffalo Bird Girl’s routine of chores and playing with friends, and they will also be captivated by her lifestyle and the dangers that came with it. Using as a resource the works of Gilbert L. Wilson, who met Buffalo Bird Woman and transcribed her life’s story in the early 20th century, award-winning author-illustrator S. D. Nelson has captured the spirit of Buffalo Bird Girl and her lost way of life. The book includes a historical timeline. Praise for Buffalo Bird Girl STARRED REVIEWS "The extraordinary illustration of this handsome volume begins with the endpaper maps and features acrylic paintings of the Hidatsa world reminiscent of traditional Plains Indian art. Pencil drawings and relevant, carefully labeled photographs round out the exquisite design. All the artwork both supports and adds to the text. An extensive author’s note and timeline supplement this beautiful tribute." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review "This is a lovely and graceful introduction to a way of life that persists despite cultural obstacles and the march of time." —School Library Journal, starred review "Nelson's quiet, respectful tone capably balances the factual details of daily life in the Hidatsa tribe with the obvious joy and nostalgia Buffalo Bird Girl feels toward her childhood." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "As a writer, storyteller, and traditional artist of the Sioux people, his perspective is genuine and effectively portrayed. This book would be enjoyable for anyone interested in history, but would also be an effective resource in the classroom to support the curriculum.” —Library Media Connection "Nelson's acrylic paintings and b&w pencil drawings are intriguingly interlaced with the photographs, contrasting Native American figures in blunt profile with harvest colors and background textures that mimic dried spears of grass, leather skins, and basket weaves." —Publishers Weekly Award Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) Choices 2013 list - Biography and Autobiography Gelett Burgess Award - Arts & Letters category

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