Books with author Alice McLerran

When the bountiful world of their ancestors was no more, the Paiute prophets had visions of a dance that would restore it. The ghost dance movement began in hope as native peoples came together to to dance for their shared dream. The dream failed and they tried again. Again the dream failed tragically. But the vision and the dream still call out to all people. It is a story that has not yet ended.

When the bountiful world of their ancestors was no more, the Paiute prophets had visions of a dance that would restore it. The ghost dance movement began in the U.S. in the 1800s, in hope as native peoples came together to dance for their shared dream. The dream failed and they tried again. Again the dream failed tragically. But the vision and the dream still call out to all people, envisioning a future when all Indian peoples would be united, disease would vanish, and the earth would be regenerated and restored. "McLerran's elegant, spare text begins by describing the result of white settlers' relentless westward movement in the U.S... [Paiute visionaries] dreamed that if Native peoples danced, the white people would disappear and the ghosts of the wildlife that had been decimated would return... [Attempts at coming together in a sacred, non-violent ceremony ended in violence to the Native Americans, as their actions were interpreted as warlike.] McLerran encourages readers to hold on to the vision of the Dance, and to unite across the boundaries of culture and politics that we have created, to heal the world... [Morin's] evocative paintings... glow with the golden colors of the sun-drenched prairie, and exhibit a dramatic use of light... This stunning book will hold great appeal for environmentally conscious readers." -- School Library Journal on the hardcover edition

“McLerran’s elegant, spare text begins by describing the result of white settlers’ relentless westward movement in the U.S. The scenario is one often related in books sympathetic to Native Americans: buffalo, their hides stripped, left to rot on the prairie; streams stripped of fish; and herds of elk and buffalo depleted. In poetic prose, she talks about a Paiute visionary, Tavibo, and his son who each dreamed that if Native peoples danced, the white people would disappear and the ghosts of the wildlife that had been decimated would return. . . . Morin’s thoughtful assemblages contain many objects that place the book in its historical context. The evocative paintings feature a variety of textures. . . . This stunning book will hold great appeal for environmentally conscious readers, and will interest classroom teachers seeking a poetic call-to-action.” —School Library Journal, starred

“McLerran’s elegant, spare text begins by describing the result of white settlers’ relentless westward movement in the U.S. The scenario is one often related in books sympathetic to Native Americans: buffalo, their hides stripped, left to rot on the prairie; streams stripped of fish; and herds of elk and buffalo depleted. In poetic prose, she talks about a Paiute visionary, Tavibo, and his son who each dreamed that if Native peoples danced, the white people would disappear and the ghosts of the wildlife that had been decimated would return. . . . Morin’s thoughtful assemblages contain many objects that place the book in its historical context. The evocative paintings feature a variety of textures. . . . This stunning book will hold great appeal for environmentally conscious readers, and will interest classroom teachers seeking a poetic call-to-action.” —School Library Journal, starred