Allen Sockabasin

A beautiful story of how a Native American family is interconnected to the land and wildlife. Every year the family migrates during the winter to another region. They pack up their whole cabin, logs included on a sleigh. The mother and children sleep on the end of the sleigh as it is being pulled by a team of horses. The youngest child who is around 1 years old, stands up on the sleigh and rolls off. No one notices. The baby begins to cry and the animals from all around lay around the baby to keep him warm. There is even a seagull! The father realizes the baby is missing when they reach their destination and follows their tracks back. The father sees all the animals keep his baby warm and thanks them one by one. The back of the book has the names of the animals in the Passamaquddy language.The illistarttions are beautifully done in pencil and water colors.… (meer)

Summary:
This Passamaquoddy tale tells of the winter migration when these people moved inland for shelter during the winter. Young Zoo Sap falls off the sled unnoticed and ends up left on the trail. The animals hear his cries and come to provide warmth and shelter until his father returns for him. This book also includes an Author’s Note about the Passamaquoddy people and why they migrated from the shore as well as a glossary of animal names in the Passamaquoddy language.

Personal Response:
I always feel a sense of responsibility to make sure I represent a story correctly when it is one that has been passed down or is based on the traditions of a native group of people. I didn’t know anything about the Passamaquoddy when I opened this book, and I am thankful for the bit of information I did learn. The story was simply stated, and the illustrations are full of kind faces and soft colors. I enjoyed reading the Author’s Note and how the book offers thanks to the animals that have sustained the Passamaquoddy people.

Curriculum Connections:
It is so important to include multicultural stories in our libraries and classrooms, and I feel this one could be shared and understood with even young students. A geographical study could also evolve out of this book as students research the area where the Passamaquoddy live now and migrated in the past.… (meer)