The Birchbark House (Module 4)

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Erdrich, Louise. 1999. The Birchbark House. Nicole Littrell, narrator. 2008. Middletown, RI: Audio Bookshelf. ISBN: 9781883332839.

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Through all four seasons of one year, Omakayas, a young Ojibwa girl, tells her story of life on an island in Lake Superior in the 1840s. With each season, there are trials and triumphs as well as a chance to see inside minute details of the daily life of the Ojibwa during this time period.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

As with much of Native American literature, Erdrich's story is slower paced and more indirect than the fact-paced novels more common today, which could mean that readers could take awhile to get into it. It is worth getting into though. The characters draw the reader in the further the novel goes. The reader may be surprised at how deeply he has come to feel for the characters (I was).

Using her Ojibwa roots, Erdrich created a well-researched novel that as informative as it is a pleasurable read. Daily life is outlined with much detail, like what and how the Ojibwa ate, how they created their clothes, and how they spent their time during cold nights of winter. It follows a motif of four, another cultural marker of Native American literature, and each section is a season of the year. The language of the Ojibwa is also woven throughout with such ease that it is easy not only to understand but also to pick up some of the language while reading. The print version also has glossary and map of the area.

The audiobook has flute music at the beginning and end of each season to set the mood and give a bit of an entrance into the Ojibwa life. The narrator captures different characters well through her voice and draws the listener into this tight knit community.

The Birchbark House is a wonderful novel that lays out the beauty of family and community within the Ojibwa during the 1840s. The audiobook is wonderful to listen to as it brings the characters to life and helps the reader to learn the pronunciation of the words throughout. Although slow to get into, the characters become part of the reader's heart and won't soon be forgotten.


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• 2006 Winner American Indian Youth Literature Award (middle grades category).
• Kirkus Reviews: "A novel that is by turns charming, suspenseful, and funny, and always bursting with life."
• New York Times Book Review: "The Birchbark House establishes its own ground, in the vicinity of Laura Ingalls Wilder's 'Little House' books."
• School Library Journal: "Nicolle Littrell's slow, clear narration is rich and inviting."
• Publisher's Weekly: "captivating"

5. CONNECTIONS

• A sample of the audiobook is available at the audiobook publisher's website. Listen to it to introduce the book or simply to enhance a reading as it has the aforementioned flute music.
• Erdrich has started a book shop with a website called Birchbark Books. It has an extensive section of educator resources available on the site with recommended books broken down by grade level and subject area. Louise Erdrich's blog can also be found at the site.
• Louise Erdrich was interviewed  by Bill Moyers for PBS. The episode contains commercials and other stories, so it is recommended to preset it before viewing. Louise Erdrich's interview begins around 20 minutes into the episode. I would recommend listening to only the first three minutes to get a good introduction to her life. Following that is a discussion of Shadow Tag (an adult book about a dissolving marriage) and some aspects of the culture of Native Americans that differ from other cultures.
• Other middle school American Indian Youth Literature Award winners:
  
  
  Guest, Jacqueline. Free Throw. ISBN: 9781552776865.
  
  
  Guest, Jacqueline. Triple Threat. ISBN: 9781552776902.
  
  
  Medicine Crow, Joseph. Counting Coup: Becoming a Crow Chief on the Reservation and Beyond. ISBN: 9780792253914.
  
  
  Simermeyer, Genevieve. Meet Christopher: An Osage Indian Boy from Oklahoma. ISBN: 9781571782175.