Erdrich, Louise. The Range Eternal. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2002.
The Range Eternal, by Louise Erdrich, derives from her memories of her grandparents’ home on a reservation in North Dakota. In the book, Erdrich brings to life a stove – the Range Eternal – that epitomizes her memories of her grandparents’ home. Within her recollection, she weaves the stove into a metaphor, since soon after the family begins to use a furnace they get rid of the stove. In some ways, Erdrich is comparing the loss of the stove to the loss of land felt by the Native Americans.
The illustrations in this book, by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, add a special piece to the story and may help young readers to understand the story. In addition, the story is lyrically written. Since the story is essentially about a young girl and her memories of her grandparents’ house, many readers will be able to relate to the message of the story.
A concern that I have is that readers may not know this story is about Native Americans or written by a Native American unless they read the About the Author section or the author’s biography. On one hand, this is a benefit of the story as it expresses the notion that ethnicity does not always need to he high lighted or blatantly displayed. However, since this book touches on the idea of Native Americans losing their land and the feelings that went along with this ordeal, it may be important for teachers to discuss this in their classroom if using it as a representation of Native American literature.
Upon reflection, The Range Eternal has both benefits and drawbacks. I would think carefully about how I wanted to use this book in my classroom. In essence, however, it provides a story that young readers may be able to relate to and appreciate.
The Range Eternal, by Louise Erdrich, derives from her memories of her grandparents’ home on a reservation in North Dakota. In the book, Erdrich brings to life a stove – the Range Eternal – that epitomizes her memories of her grandparents’ home. Within her recollection, she weaves the stove into a metaphor, since soon after the family begins to use a furnace they get rid of the stove. In some ways, Erdrich is comparing the loss of the stove to the loss of land felt by the Native Americans.
The illustrations in this book, by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, add a special piece to the story and may help young readers to understand the story. In addition, the story is lyrically written. Since the story is essentially about a young girl and her memories of her grandparents’ house, many readers will be able to relate to the message of the story.
A concern that I have is that readers may not know this story is about Native Americans or written by a Native American unless they read the About the Author section or the author’s biography. On one hand, this is a benefit of the story as it expresses the notion that ethnicity does not always need to he high lighted or blatantly displayed. However, since this book touches on the idea of Native Americans losing their land and the feelings that went along with this ordeal, it may be important for teachers to discuss this in their classroom if using it as a representation of Native American literature.
Upon reflection, The Range Eternal has both benefits and drawbacks. I would think carefully about how I wanted to use this book in my classroom. In essence, however, it provides a story that young readers may be able to relate to and appreciate.
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