Longhouse (Native American Homes)

Grade 3-5-To their credit, these books present some good information, discussing how, why, where, and by whom each type of dwelling was built. Unfortunately, the texts contain problems typical of nonfiction about Native Americans written from a nonnative perspective. To varying degrees, each volume glosses over the cultural identity of differing tribal groups that used similar dwelling types. The authors' consistent use of past tense does avoid confusing the historic with the contemporary, but historical context and information on contemporary life are handled inconsistently from one volume to another. The uninspired watercolor illustrations are a major shortfall of Tipi and Longhouse. However, in Igloo and Pueblo they are at least balanced by well-chosen color photos, making the art somewhat functional. A simple craft idea appears in each volume. The further reading lists include some blatantly offensive titles, such as Lynne Reid Banks's Indian in the Cupboard (Doubleday, 1980) in Longhouse, and none of the suggested Web sites include any resources operated or endorsed by the tribal groups themselves, many of which are available and informative. Bonnie Shemie's "Native Dwellings" series (Tundra) is a better set of resources for the same grade range.
Sean George, St. Charles Parish Library, Luling, LA
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