AT THE MOUNTAIN'S BASE, by Traci Sorrel, with illustrations by Weshoyot Alvitre--a review by Ashleigh, 13
Traci Sorell wrote one of our favorite picture books, WE ARE GRATEFUL, Otsaliheliga . She also finished Charlene Willing McManis' novel INDIAN NO MORE . Ms. Traci is a Cherokee Nation citizen, and she writes great books for kids! Her newest book is another picture book based on Cherokee history and traditions: AT THE MOUNTAIN'S BASE. The book has a simple text like a poem. It starts with: At the mountain's base/ grows a hickory tree/ Beneath this sits a cabin. Then it turns to: On that stove/ simmers savory goodness in well-worn pans/ By those pans sits a grandma, weaving At this point we see the grandma hand-weaving with her granddaughter standing beside her looking on. From the beginning of the book, there are many colored strands of fiber around the pictures, each one connected to the next. This is a very beautiful technique by Tongva/Scots-Gaelic illustrator Alvitre. The weaving connects not just the text and images, but also the Cherokee women in the story