Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 2^-4, younger for reading aloud. Crazy Horse, famous Lakota warrior and leader during the mid-1800s, was different even as a child. He was called Curly because of his curly hair, and he was small in stature and quiet. He was, however, a natural leader, inspiring others with his bravery and generosity. After witnessing white soldiers kill Conquering Bear, the 14-year-old Curly went into the hills to seek a vision. After three days, the vision appeared, but his father and uncle would not listen because Curly had not prepared himself in the traditional manner. Three years later, his father asked Curly about the vision, and as a result, gave his son the name Tashunka Witco, or Crazy Horse. Bruchac has created a memorable tale about Crazy Horse's childhood, capturing the spirit of one of the most dedicated and daring leaders among the Lakota. In beautiful illustrations inspired by the ledger book style of the Plains Indians, Sioux artist Nelson fills the pages with both action and quiet drama. An author's note provides information about Crazy Horse's adult years and death, and an illustrator's note explains the art. --Karen Hutt
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
As he did in Gift Horse, Sioux artist Nelson blends contemporary and traditional elements for the striking illustrations that accompany this story of the legendary Lakota warrior. Bruchac (A Boy Called Slow: The True Story of Sitting Bull) traces Crazy Horse's boyhood, zeroing in on a pivotal event in his life and highlighting an important Native American rite of passage. As a youth, Crazy Horse (then known as Curly) witnesses U.S. Army soldiers brutally and unjustly attack his people. Troubled, he embarks on a vision quest and sees a figure on horseback riding untouched through a storm of lightning, hail and bullets. His father interprets the vision, telling him that "the man on that horse is the one you will become" and that he is destined to defend his people. Bruchac's description of the vision quest is compelling, and his decision to limit his canvas to a few select events demonstrates his understanding of his audience; an afterword describes subsequent events in the warrior's life. Endmatter also illuminates Nelson's approach. The artist explains his approximations of the Plains Indians' traditional ledger-book style (characterized by indistinct facial expressions and flat, two-dimensional figures) and his symbolic use of color (Crazy Horse is painted blue, representative of a connection with the spirit world). His sweeping vistas and somewhat ghostly textured brushwork bolster the book's visionary theme. Ages 6-up. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 5-Crazy Horse is the revered Lakota warrior who defeated General Custer during the Battle of Little Bighorn. Bruchac provides this information and much more in an author's note, but the main narrative involves scenes of his subject's youth. He presents details from oral history, such as "Curly's" quiet nature, early leadership skills, and vision quest. The boy sought divine inspiration after his tribe was invaded by white settlers; the vision, which taught him to "Keep nothing for yourself," was to guide him throughout his life. Nelson's note acknowledges the influence of his ancestors' ledger-book style on his acrylic paintings executed on wood panels. The artist uses stylized figures, symbolic color, and texture to create dynamic scenes. While there are many stylistic similarities to Nelson's art in Gift Horse (Abrams, 1999), here the artist has a stronger sense of book design, and takes better advantage of double-page spreads, full bleeds, and tight croppings. Older children will appreciate comparing the images to the 19th-century ledger-book drawings reproduced in Russell Freedman's The Life and Death of Crazy Horse (Holiday, 1996). A fine introduction to a hero long overlooked.-Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Primary) This abbreviated fictionalized biography covers the early years in the life of Tashunka Witco, or Crazy Horse. Concentrating on his unorthodox vision quest, in which Crazy Horse sees himself as an invincible leader instructed to keep nothing for himself, Bruchac clearly paints the stoic but brilliant tactician and warrior as hero. His mother named him Curly and proclaimed him brave; as a young boy he was a leader: ""When others spoke, he was quiet. When others hesitated, he acted."" Greatly affected by a bloody battle between the Lakotas and the U.S. Army, Curly sets out on a spiritual journey which, when recognized by his father, results in the elder passing on his name to his son, thus giving him the appellation by which he is known today. Inspiring and stirring as these events may be, without documentation they take on the mantle of legend rather than biography and thus account for the book's designation as fiction. Nelson's acrylics on wooden panels, patterned after drawings in ledger books done by children attending eastern ""Indian Schools,"" contain scenes and individuals also reminiscent of the two-dimensional figures recorded by Plains Indians, including Sitting Bull and No Heart. The purest forms appear on the end papers, which vividly depict Crazy Horse leading warriors during the Battle of Little Bighorn. Appended with both author's and illustrator's notes. b.c. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Bruchac (Sacajawea, 2000, etc.) teams up with a Lakota (Sioux) artist for an atmospheric view of the feared and revered Crazy Horse's youth. At birth, the child dubbed "Curly" did not cry, but "studied the world with serious eyes," quietly going on to lead all of the other youths in courage and, having watched his people being gunned down for killing a "wasichu" settler's errant cow, slipping away on a premature vision quest. His stormy vision of a rider with a lightning bolt on his cheek, spots like hail on his chest, and a clear, if unspoken, command to "keep nothing for yourself," led him to become a man as noble as he was brilliant and daring. Inspired by the ledger-book art of the Plains Indians, Nelson paints his figures with stylized forms, chiseled features, and indistinct expressions, adding realistic depth of field but giving Crazy Horse blue skin to emphasize his connection to the spirit world. The author and illustrator both append substantial explanatory notes. Like A Boy Called Slow, also by Bruchac (1995), this makes inspirational reading and affords a glimpse into the heart of a renowned American leader. (Picture book/biography. 9-11) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
