Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back: A
Native American Year of Moons opens with a sketch
of the patchwork of scales on Old Turtle’s back. Grandfather explains: “There
are always thirteen on Old Turtle’s back and there are always thirteen moons in
each year. Many people do not know this. They do not know, as we Abenaki know,
that each moon has its own name and every moon has its own stories.” For
readers not familiar with Native American beliefs and legends, this book
presents the opportunity for a wonderful stretch of understanding, bringing a
year of seasons into a beautiful, palpable, evocative fabric of the natural
world. Scholar and storyteller Joseph Bruchac and poet Jonathan London explain
in an accompanying note that Native American nations may use several names for
the same moon “because so many things happen in the natural world at that
time.” Choosing just one moon from each of thirteen tribal nations provides a
moving glimpse of the ways one can observe the world. Readers are invited by
the expressive poems and artist Thomas Locker’s striking landscapes to contemplate
the Northern Cheyenne's “Moon of the Popping Trees” and a dozen others. The
implied value of connecting with and respecting the rhythms of the natural
world presents an important challenge to a society too prone to overlooking
deep and enduring environmental concerns. Ages 4 up.
Related resources may be found at: TeachingBooks.net
Related resources may be found at: TeachingBooks.net
