Reviews for Grandmother's dreamcatcher
Publishers Weekly
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A Chippewa girl's bad dreams are kept at bay by a dreamcatcher in this straightforward story. The narrator, staying with her grandmother while her parents are busy relocating, keeps busy making Native American crafts and trekking through the countryside. Instructions for making a dreamcatcher follow the story. While the text credibly emulates a child's voice, it makes facile use of Native American culture that goes little beyond information on dreamcatchers that could be found in many activity books. Schuett's (Somewhere in the World Right Now) acrylic and gouache paintings convincingly convey tenderness among the family members, as well as the narrator's anxiety. The solid forms of her paintings, which rely heavily upon purple and green, are defined with solid black lines; her sometimes tilted perspectives add a lilt to these strong shapes. While the book raises significant issuesÄabout the loss of traditional culture, separation from parents, movingÄthe resolution comes too easily. The dreamcatcher is given full credit for curing the girl's anxiety; this solution ignores the complexity of the larger problems and sells short the family support that both author and illustrator portray. Ages 5-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
School Library Journal
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K-Gr 2-Kimmy is taken to stay with her Chippewa grandmother while her parents find a new place to live. Bad dreams and fear for her mother and father constantly disturb the child's sleep until Grandmother tells her the legend of the dreamcatcher, which is intended to capture bad dreams and allow good ones to make their way back to the dreamer. Kimmy is comforted after she and Grandmother construct a dreamcatcher from found materials. The two spend the rest of the week fishing, making presents, and enjoying being together. The acrylic-and-gouache illustrations are bright and appealing, and each character has unique features and expressions. The text is short and suitable for reading aloud. However, the fact that Kimmy does not recognize a dreamcatcher seems odd since both sides of her family are Chippewa. Nonetheless, this is a sensitive and attractive story. Directions for making a dreamcatcher are included.-Mary B. McCarthy, Windsor Severance Library District, CO (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Kimmy is to spend a week with her Chippewa grandmother while her parents look for a new home in Chicago. Grandmother lives in a cabin in the north woods, and Kimmy enjoys spending time with her, but a week away from her parents sounds like a long time. When bad dreams cause Kimmy to wake up screaming, Grandmother knows just what to do; she and Kimmy craft a dreamcatcher of bent wood, sinew, feathers, and beads, while Grandmother tells Kimmy the legend of the first dreamcatcher. The dreamcatcher?or the story?works; Kimmy wakes up happy and refreshed. The love shared by the child and her grandmother is palpable, reflected in the old woman's reassuring presence, her words, actions, and spirit. Schuett's acrylic and gouache illustrations show that warmth in expressive faces, and in the curve of Grandmother's arm and the angle of her head as she holds Kimmy. Directions for making a dreamcatcher round out this satisfying offering. (Picture book. 5-8)
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
Ages 5-7. Kimmy stays for a week with Grandmother, who is "Chippewa, like us," while her parents look for a place to live in Chicago. The bad dreams that frightened Kimmy at home continue at the cabin by the lake, until Grandmother hangs a dreamcatcher above the child's pillow. In the first-person narrative, the child's voice is quiet and convincing. The acrylic and gouache paintings effectively reflect the moods of the story and portray the characters with quiet empathy. The last page of the book gives illustrated directions for making a dreamcatcher. A picture book that is particularly welcome for portraying a present-day story about Native Americans. (Reviewed October 1, 1998)080753031XCarolyn Phelan
Publishers Weekly
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"A Chippewa girl's bad dreams are kept at bay by a dreamcatcher in this straightforward story. The paintings convincingly convey tenderness among the family members, as well as the narrator's anxiety," said PW. Ages 5-8. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
