Books published by publisher South Dakota State Historical Society

Life, art, and story Cutting-edge and sometimes controversial, the stunning art of Paul Goble (b. 1933) evokes many emotions. Known internationally for his award-winning children s books, Goble began his career in design, crafting furniture that was produced throughout the United Kingdom. This early work foreshadowed his use of clean, crisp lines in his later illustrations depicting the natural world and American Indian themes. Throughout his life, Goble has steeped himself in nature, honing his craft among the pine trees of South Dakota s Black Hills for the past forty years. Starting in 1969, Goble used his art to relate little-known stories of the Lakota Sioux and other tribes to a wider audience. He received the Caldecott Medal for The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses in 1979. In Paul Goble, Storyteller, author Gregory Bryan interviewed Goble, his family, friends, and those whose work he influenced to tell the artist s story. Bryan captures an intriguing life that few Americans are familiar with, including Goble s childhood in wartime England. Building on this foundation, Bryan s narrative follows the young boy as his penchant for learning led him to a lifelong fascination with the lives and cultures of American Indians on the Great Plains. Bryan delivers an insightful, behind-the-scenes look at this well-known illustrator and writer, whose artwork is located in collections and institutions throughout the country, including the Library of Congress and the South Dakota Art Museum. Goble has written and illustrated more than forty books for children. The book features sketches and stories about Goble s creative process in writing, designing, and illustrating his bestselling works.

In southeastern South Dakota, wild animals begin to stir as day turns to dusk. A curious raccoon emerges from his bed and starts hunting for food. Tempted by sticky honey oozing from a bee's nest, the little raccoon finds trouble he did not bargain for. The Raccoon and the Bee Tree combines an old American Indian tale written down by Charles Eastman and Elaine Goodale Eastman with a traditional European fable. Written one hundred years ago, The Raccoon and the Bee Tree has a lesson for children that is still important and relevant in today's modern society.

Max and Hannah are about to go on their first pheasant hunt. They have taken their safety course, and they can’t wait to get out into the field. But there is much they don’t know about the Chinese ring-necked pheasant, and the twins’ grandfather has plenty to teach them before they load their shotguns for the first time.The Mystery of the Pheasants tells the history of the South Dakota state bird, from its arrival from China, through its successful adaptation to the plains, and onto the traditions of hunting that are so important to state and the surrounding region.The Mystery of the Pheasants is suitable for a first-to-third grade reading level or for reading aloud to a younger audience.

Living through everyday childhood exploits with a large spark of imagination, a young girl grows up on the American plains. Catherine survives a cyclone and a small pox epidemic. Her youth is filled with new sights as her world expands to the Montana frontier and the metropolis of Saint Paul, Minnesota. As the storyteller, Catherine gives insight into a bygone era with child-like enthusiasm and a reflective nature brought on by the passing years. In recounting these episodes from Catherine's childhood, her daughter Mary Gibson Sprague shares a narrative common to many plains families that migrated throughout the U.S. at the beginning of the twentieth century. The tales take on new life as they are paired with paintings created by Catherine in her adult years. These "memory paintings," as she named them, call readers back to a time when birthday parties were new celebrations and children relied on their own ingenuity to occupy themselves.

When Zikky the Gopher wins the golden ball, he faces a tough decision - riches or happiness? Zikky follows his choice and enjoys his new life for a short wile, but soon he finds himself in trouble. Did the little gopher make the wisest decision, or will it be the end of him? L. Frank Baum's Discontented Gopher is a true American fairy tale. Danger lurks around every corner, and wisdon is hard-earned in this classic fable.