Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Cinco Puntos Press (2006), 40 pages
Description
In the 1800s, a Choctaw girl becomes friends with a slave boy from a plantation across the great river, and when she learns that his family is in trouble, she helps them cross to freedom.
Media reviews
These issues notwithstanding, Crossing Bok Chitto is an awesome story of survival, generosity, courage, kindness and love; enhanced by Jeanne Rorex Bridges’ luminous acrylic on watercolor board paintings on a subdued palette of mostly browns and greens.
User reviews
LibraryThing member summerdinah
Martha Tom of the Choctaw Indian tribe explores the forests near the river Bok Chitto deep in the Mississippi woods.
Martha makes friends with Little Mo, a slave boy who she meets when she goes near the Bok Chitto River. Martha is captivated in watching Little Mo's family especially on Sundays when
Unfortunately, a sad day comes when little Mo's mom will be auctioned off and sold into slavery. Little Mo's family
decides to attempt to escape. With Little Mo's family in need, Martha Tom's family rises up to help this family! This is a great historical fiction account of the relations between the Choctaw Indians and the early african-american slaves that settled in Mississippi.
Martha makes friends with Little Mo, a slave boy who she meets when she goes near the Bok Chitto River. Martha is captivated in watching Little Mo's family especially on Sundays when
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they have church and the preaching starts.Unfortunately, a sad day comes when little Mo's mom will be auctioned off and sold into slavery. Little Mo's family
decides to attempt to escape. With Little Mo's family in need, Martha Tom's family rises up to help this family! This is a great historical fiction account of the relations between the Choctaw Indians and the early african-american slaves that settled in Mississippi.
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LibraryThing member lisa_tugmon
This story is about a young Choctaw girl named Martha Tom who helps a slave family to freedom. Martha Tom is sent out to pick blackberries and while picking berries she crosses Bok Chitto over a stone path. Martha Tom discovers a group of slaves in the woods where she was picking berries and Little
This is a book that I found very interesting. I enjoyed it alot. This book can teach children about diversity and accepting one another. It also teaches us a little bit about some Native American history. The illustrations alone are beautiful and worth reading the book for. The pictures add alot to the story. I would definately recommend this book to anyone.
Classroom Extension #1: I'm not sure how possible it is to do, but I would try to get Tim Tingle to visit my school and tell the story himself. He does an awesome job telling the story using his drum and singing in a native american language.
Classroom Extension #2: For older children I would have them act this story out. One group of kids could be the slaves, another could be the Choctaw family, and the other could be the slave owners. Have the children build a stone path outside and reenact the story.
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Mo, a slave boy, leads Martha back to the river. These two become good friends and Little Mo learns about the stone path. When Little Mo's family gets the news that his mother is going to be sold he figures out a way to get his family to freedom by using the stone path.This is a book that I found very interesting. I enjoyed it alot. This book can teach children about diversity and accepting one another. It also teaches us a little bit about some Native American history. The illustrations alone are beautiful and worth reading the book for. The pictures add alot to the story. I would definately recommend this book to anyone.
Classroom Extension #1: I'm not sure how possible it is to do, but I would try to get Tim Tingle to visit my school and tell the story himself. He does an awesome job telling the story using his drum and singing in a native american language.
Classroom Extension #2: For older children I would have them act this story out. One group of kids could be the slaves, another could be the Choctaw family, and the other could be the slave owners. Have the children build a stone path outside and reenact the story.
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LibraryThing member Mluke04
This story is a legend because it was passed dwn through the generations in the Choctaw tribe. The Choctaws actually did build a stone pathway under the surface of the Bok Chitto and some of the people did help runaway slaves.
The setting is very important to this story and is created on the first
Media: Acrylics
The setting is very important to this story and is created on the first
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page of the book. The reader needs to know that the story is set before the Civil War and before the relocation of the Choctaw tribe. The whole story is set up on the first page when the author introduces the setting.Media: Acrylics
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LibraryThing member es109031
This story is about a nation of indian people and plantation owners and their slaves, the only thing that seperated them was a river called the Bok Chitto. No one ever crossed the river except when a slave would escape and if the made it across they were free. The Choctaw's had built a stone path
I really enjoyed this book, i think it would be a good book to have in the classroom for history and the slave period. This book is a book on trust and friendship and that is something that i can really relate to.
For classroom extension ideas i would definiatly read this book in the class during a history lesson and then i would have the students pair up and learn how to trust each other by blind folding one and having the other lead them around the class. Basically going on blind faith.
I would also have the students put on a class play on this book i think it has good meaning and would be an enjoyable thing for the students.
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to cross the river for berries. Martha Tom is the main character in the book and she crosses the river when she knows she is not suppose to and this starts a long adventure and friendship.I really enjoyed this book, i think it would be a good book to have in the classroom for history and the slave period. This book is a book on trust and friendship and that is something that i can really relate to.
For classroom extension ideas i would definiatly read this book in the class during a history lesson and then i would have the students pair up and learn how to trust each other by blind folding one and having the other lead them around the class. Basically going on blind faith.
I would also have the students put on a class play on this book i think it has good meaning and would be an enjoyable thing for the students.
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LibraryThing member lbarrera
Wonderful story about friendship. This story can be used in the classroom when discussing slavery and the Underground Railroad.
LibraryThing member amberntaylor
On one side of the Bok Chitto river lived the Choctaw Indians, and on the other side of the river lived the slaves and their owners. The river was freedom for the slaves. If the slaves were able to escape and make it across the river, they were free from slavery. Martha Tom, one of the Choctaw
I thought this book was wonderful. The pictures in this book were captivating. They drew you into the story. I loved the sweet story of how the two culturally different children became life long friends. This story also kept you on pins and needles to see if they make it to freedom.
I think it would be great to have the students chose one of the characters of Martha Tom or little Mo, and have them write about what they thought about them. They could write what made them special, their great character and qualities and why they would want to be like them. Then you could have them pair up as the duo and go out side to play games where they would have to help each other get to a finish line.
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Indians living by the river and little Mo, one of the slave boys, become great friends. With the help from Martha Tom, little Mo and his family are able to cross the river. I thought this book was wonderful. The pictures in this book were captivating. They drew you into the story. I loved the sweet story of how the two culturally different children became life long friends. This story also kept you on pins and needles to see if they make it to freedom.
I think it would be great to have the students chose one of the characters of Martha Tom or little Mo, and have them write about what they thought about them. They could write what made them special, their great character and qualities and why they would want to be like them. Then you could have them pair up as the duo and go out side to play games where they would have to help each other get to a finish line.
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LibraryThing member APoteet
As told by a master storyteller, this tale describes how a Choctaw tribe in pre-Civil War Mississippi helps guide a family of runaway slaves to freedom across the river Bok Chitto.
LibraryThing member creeh
crossing bok chitto is a great book in my opinion. it tells the story of a young choctaw girl who knows a secret path between the boundaries of slavery and the native american free lands. she establishes a friendship of a slave child, and helps him and his people to freedom when his family was
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going to be torn apart. the children learn about each other's culture.the story is actually a choctaw legend passed down orally for generations. it would be helpful incorporated into a lesson about slavery or native americans. it would also be great for a class when talking about alliances between groups. Show Less
LibraryThing member mpitcairn06
Summary: This book tells the tale of a Choctaw girl and a slave boy who become friends by crossing the river Bok Chitto by a hidden stone pathway under the water. The friendship and faith of both families are tested when the boy, Little Mo, must help his family cross the river to safety before his
Media: Acrylic
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mother is sold.Media: Acrylic
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LibraryThing member debnance
A wonderful story of people helping people, based on old Choctaw legends. Bok Chitto is a river; on one side are Choctaw lands and on the other are the lands of plantation owners and slaves. When a group of slaves learn their family is to be sold to another plantation, the slaves use their
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friendship with the Choctaw people to find a way to escape across Bok Chitto and into freedom on Choctaw land. Show Less
LibraryThing member Jenpark
This is a fictional story based on fact. It tells the tale of a Native American girl and an African American slave boy, who become friends. Eventually the Indian girl helps save the slave boy's family.
LibraryThing member sckimmel
Bok Chitto was a river in Mississippi that served as a boundary between the Choctaw Indian people on one side and the plantations and slaves on the other side. If a slave made it across the river, the slave was free. In this story, Martha Tom a young Choctaw girl is lost on the plantation side when
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a young boy, named Little Mo (short for Moses) helps her to find the crossing home. Show Less
LibraryThing member ShellyCBuchanan
This is the story of a young Choctow girl, Martha Tom, who secretly learns how to cross the Bok Chitto River by stepping on a series of submerged stones. She befriends a slave boy who lives on a plantation on the other side of the river. When the boy's mother is sold and about to be sent away
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forever, the two children bravely band together and courageously save the family and help them escape to freedom. The writing is beautiful, with the poetry and cadences of a superb storyteller. The illustrations gracefully support and develop the story with startling portraits in moody landscapes. The collaboration of the Choctow storyteller and Cherokee artist is a complete success. Show Less
LibraryThing member cindylansdale
Crossing Bok Chitto is about a young Indian Girl Martha Tom, who breaks the rules and crosses the river and goes hunting for blackberries. She eventually finds the blackberries and then she realizes that she is lost. She finds a slave church and is led back to safety by Little Mo's dad. She crosses
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the river again and again and becomes friends with Little Mo, she shows him how to cross the river so that he can come and visit her. Eventually Little Mo forgets how Martha Tom showed him how to cross the river but decides to try to do it one night when his family finds out his mother has been sold and will be leaving in the morning. Little Mo makes it across the river by feeling his way across with his hands. When he tells Martha Tom about what has happened, she convinces her mother to help the slave family and get the other ladies of the village to put on their ceremonial white dresses and do a sprit dance across the river to help the slave family find their way to freedom. This is an awesome book of friendship. Show Less
LibraryThing member samib
This is one of my favorite picture books of the summer. It brings together two different cultures, a Native American tribe and African Americans held in slavery. This story shows friendship, adventure, and how the two different cultures can work together to help free a family from the crime of
This is a great story for teachers to use in curriculum about friendship, slavery, African American history, Native Americans, Native American history, and American history. Libraries can use this in storytimes, displays and programming for African American and Native American history, and even in school outreach programs, to get children excited to see their histories and inspiration in library books.
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slavery. It also shows how the friendship between two little children from different peoples can have such a profound affect on adults and their entire families. An inspiring and exciting read! (One note: the authors tell in the book how this story has been passed down by the Choctaw people, and is a real story. Yet it is tagged by some readers as fiction. An interesting observation on the treatment of stories of Native Americans and African Americans by many readers to this day.)This is a great story for teachers to use in curriculum about friendship, slavery, African American history, Native Americans, Native American history, and American history. Libraries can use this in storytimes, displays and programming for African American and Native American history, and even in school outreach programs, to get children excited to see their histories and inspiration in library books.
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LibraryThing member CarmellaLee
Personal Response: A picture book that shares a story of responsibility and caring for others. It is a warming story across cultures.
Curricular or Programming Connections: Slavery and Friendship and Responsibility. Showing respect and caring for others.
Curricular or Programming Connections: Slavery and Friendship and Responsibility. Showing respect and caring for others.
LibraryThing member mlwgiggles
This book is about bonding between members of different cultures.
LibraryThing member jake.stover
Crossing Bok Chitto was about a little Choctaw girl named Martha Tam who becomes friends with a little slave boy name Little Moe. They live on opposite sides of the Bok Chitto River. One side is the slave side and one side is the free side. They grow up together and she crosses the river every
This was a very good book. It is about family and friendship. This book was full of all kinds of emotions. It was a very powerful book. The artwork and the text worked very well together. This book was written by an Oklahoma Native and illustrated by an Oklahoma native. It is a very good book.
I would use this book on a unit about slaves trying to escape to their freedom and how there were people who tried to help them. I would also use this unit in a Native American Studies unit.
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Sunday to attend a church service with the slaves. In the end, Martha Tam helps Little Moe and his families cross the river to freedom. This was a very good book. It is about family and friendship. This book was full of all kinds of emotions. It was a very powerful book. The artwork and the text worked very well together. This book was written by an Oklahoma Native and illustrated by an Oklahoma native. It is a very good book.
I would use this book on a unit about slaves trying to escape to their freedom and how there were people who tried to help them. I would also use this unit in a Native American Studies unit.
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LibraryThing member princessofthesea
Subject Area: Language Arts, History
Genre: Folktale
Critique/Summary:
The author tells the story of Little Mo and Martha Tom, one a slave boy and the other a Choctaw Indian girl. The story is based on a song sung by the Choctaw Indians, therefore it is a folktale. It combines plausible events, such
Style: The author uses a lot of rhythm throughout the story. Lyrics from the Choctaw's songs are embedded in the text. These lyrics have a distinct rhythm to them. The author also uses metaphors and similes throughout the story. For example: "Quick as a bird, he flew across the stones and burst into Martha Tom's home."
Age: Intermediate
Genre: Folktale
Critique/Summary:
The author tells the story of Little Mo and Martha Tom, one a slave boy and the other a Choctaw Indian girl. The story is based on a song sung by the Choctaw Indians, therefore it is a folktale. It combines plausible events, such
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as Indians helping slaves escape, with implausible ones, such as the characters becoming "invisible." The story is drawn from Choctaw and slave's religious beliefs, customs, and values.Style: The author uses a lot of rhythm throughout the story. Lyrics from the Choctaw's songs are embedded in the text. These lyrics have a distinct rhythm to them. The author also uses metaphors and similes throughout the story. For example: "Quick as a bird, he flew across the stones and burst into Martha Tom's home."
Age: Intermediate
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LibraryThing member JanaRose1
The Bok Chitto river seperates Choctow territory from United States territory. Slaves who cross the river are considered free. Marta Tom, a young Choctaw crosses the river to pick blackberries. While there, she meets and becomes friends with slaves on the plantation. Her friend’s mother is to be
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sold to another plantation, so Marta Tom helps the family cross the river to freedom. Following the story is a note on modern Choctaw culture. Overall, this is a beautiful story, well illustrated and told. Show Less
LibraryThing member savannahmcallister
This book is about a Choctaw girl who befriends a slave. She shows him how to get across Bok Chitto so he can visit. The little slave boy Mo, short for Moses, has his mother sold. In order to keep his family together Mo shows them how to get to the other side with freedom. I can relate to this book
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because I have been saved in a way by friends too. I was led to christ by a friend. I have been taken in in times of trouble, and I have been loved by friends when things go treibble wrong. I would use this story to treach children what it is to be a friend. We would list all the things a friend does, and does not do. I would also teach the children about freedom, and how lucky we are to be free. I will talk about other places where the people do not vote, and have to dress, or act a certian way. Show Less
LibraryThing member mrcmyoung
A Choctaw girl and her tribe helps her slave friend and his family escape from their master's plantation before they are sold and split apart. Tingle combines historical fiction and folklore to tell a story about the power of friendship and faith.
LibraryThing member gfurth
This is a multicultural story of friendship.When Martha Tom breaks her tribes rules by crossing the Bok Chitto to collects blueberries for a wedding she stumbles upon a friendship with a slave family. This friendship leads to Martha Tom, and her tribe, rescuing the family from slavery.
LibraryThing member nkwak1
I enjoyed reading this Historical Fiction book. I didn't know much about the Trail of Tears or the injustice that was happening at that time. I liked how the author briefly introduced the two sides and then intertwined them. I liked the writing of this book because it was engaging, even for me. I
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was anticipating what would happen next and read through the book quickly because of my eagerness. Suspense grew when Little Mo and his family reached Bok Chitto and he said "Daddy, I've never been here at night. I can't get us across!" I started feeling anxious and worried about what would happen next. The author's writing was able to draw readers in. The illustrations also helped me as a reader to understand what was happening. Initially, I thought negatively of the cover page. I thought it was intimidating with the white gowns and dark background but as I read the book I noticed that the same illustration was one of the key aspects to the story. The illustration represented the Choctaws and slaves beginning to work together. The main message of this text was to inform people of the Chocotaw, black, and white perspectives of this same story. Each ethnicity had a different interpretation. The Chocotaw's praise the little girl, Martha Tom, for her bravery. The black people and slaves talk about the faith of Moses or Little Mo. The white people talk about when they witnesses spirits walking on water. Show Less
LibraryThing member cwoodrow
This is a very good story about Native Americans befriending African American slaves and leading them to freedom. I really liked this multi-cultural book and the message of two different cultures coming together and working towards a goal. I liked hearing this story told by the author on the
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internet because he did a great job of making the story come alive. I think this would be a very good book to read to children because it might expose some to a different culture. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Texas Bluebonnet Award (Nominee — 2009)
Sequoyah Book Award (Nominee — Children's — 2009)
Triple Crown Awards (Nominee — 2009)
South Dakota Children's Book Awards (Nominee — 2009)
Jane Addams Children's Book Award (Honor Book — 2007)
Skipping Stones Honor Award (2007)
Oklahoma Book Award (Winner)
Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award (Nominee — 2009)
American Indian Youth Literature Award (Winner — Young Adult — 2008)
Great Reads from Great Places (Mississippi — 2007)
Books From All 50 States (and Washington, D.C.!) (Mississippi)
Notable Children's Book (2007)
25 Great Reads for Mississippi Kids (Picture Books)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
40 p.; 8.7 inches
ISBN
0938317776 / 9780938317777