Living Ghosts & Mischievous Monsters by Dan Sasuweh Jones

This is a collection of 32 scary stories, collected and shared by Dan Sasuweh Jones, Ponca Nation. Each story is one to six pages in length with illustrations by Weshoyot Alvitre, Tongva. Stories are prefaced by their origin information (tribe, extra details) and are shared with the permission of those entities. Some stories are mildly creepy and others are downright shiver-inducing. They are a mixture of generations-old stories handed down to more contemporary experiences as told by individuals Mr. Jones has interviewed while traveling across the country in his research.

Readers who are fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark will enjoy this book, as will students of Native American culture. This is a great introduction to the horror genre and will not stay on the shelves very long.

The author’s introduction provides his insight as well as detailing his respectful omission of stories that are not to be shared outside particular tribes. Other sources and further reading are helpful for those looking for more information. Highly recommended.

Native Americans, Discover the History and Cultures of the First Americans

The Build it Yourself Series has great projects that students can create language, art, miniatures of transportation, etc.  The chapters are short, but full of information and laied out in an interesting format.  At the end, there is a project based on the culture represented in the chapter.  Cultures include: Arctic, PNW, Great Plains, Woodlands, Southwest tribes, etc. The hands-on activities are practical, do-able, and interesting.  I recommend this book for elementary level.