Songs from the Loom: A Navajo Girl Learns to Weave (We Are Still Here)
Grade 4-6-"Weaving is more than just a craft to the Navajos. It is an expression of the culture." Thus, Roessel shares his heritage with readers by describing how his mother taught his daughter how to work a loom. From the shearing of the sheep to the weaving itself, traditions, stories, and lively, full-color photographs bring the activities to life. There are three main aspects to the book: the story of Jaclyn and her grandmother; traditional stories; and factual information about Navajo life today. The first two are extremely well integrated. Unfortunately, the third section, while good in and of itself, interrupts the story line and makes it choppy. While some of the photographs are not captioned, and a few do not mesh with the text on the same page, they nonetheless enhance the information. A map showing the area discussed and a diagram of a loom are included. A brief, but clear, glossary is appended. This book will tie in nicely with the fictional favorite, The Goat in the Rug (Four Winds, 1984) by Charles L. Blood and Martin Link, and contrasts well with titles on European style weaving, such as The Weaver's Gift (Warne, 1981; o.p.) by Kathryn Lasky. On its own, Songs from the Loom will be a useful addition to collections on Native Americans in the modern world.Darcy Schild, Schwegler Elementary School, Lawrence, KSCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.