Jingle Dancer

Young and old need this book. It affirms the life experiences if Native children, and shows non-Native readers that Native people are very much a part of today's U.S. Beautifully told and illustrated, I highly recommend this book. And as a Native mom, I wish it had been available when my daughter

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was young. I'd have loved reading it to her.

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Jenna is a little girl who is a member of an Indian Nation and is really excited about participating in a celebration where the girls jingle dance using a special dress with jingles on it. She goes to members of her family, helping them as she always had managing in her own little way to borrow a

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few jingles for her dress to be able to jingle dance on the powwow. Wright and Hwa Hu make beautiful use of watercolor depicting the family traditions as Jenna fights for what she wants.

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Native American heritage is the fundamental theme of this charming book. The reader follows the events leading up to a young girl’s first participation in a ceremonial dance. Jenna, a young Native American, admires the pride and grace that her grandmother exudes as she does the jingle dance at a

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powwow, but she does not have her own tin accessories to make her traditional dress “sing” as she dances. So she borrows a small amount from four different generations of her family until she acquires enough. She then prepares for her first jingle dance, in which she will represent her family’s honor to the ancient traditions of her culture. Other references are made throughout the book to Native American culture, such as culinary traditions, and referring to the time of day as the position of the sun. Another theme that is touched on is the balance between cultural tradition and the realities of the modern world.

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I got this book because I like, if possible, to have a variety of books from a variety of views for my nieces to read. A book about a Native American girl *living today* (it's so easy for young children to get the impression that Native Americans either are all dead, or are about as real as witches

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and ghosts, because all they ever hear about them is in the past), written by somebody who probably knows what she's talking about? I had to try it.

The story is fairly simple - a girl wants to dance, and she finds a way to do so by getting other people to share with her. (And she works hard, too, practicing all through the last few pages!) It's a good story, and I love the artwork.

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This is another cultural book about a little girl who wants to be a dancer like her grandmother. Jingle Dancing is a cultural dance in some Native American Cultures. This is a great book to read to students about culture.

Borrowing a row of jingles for her dress for the Powwow dance from each of the four women on her contemporary suburban street, Jenna’s story of the tradition of Ojibwe jingle dances and intertribal community was written by a mixed-blood member of the Muscogee-Creek nation.

I liked this book. I have always liked the jingle dancers best at powwows. The dresses make such fun sounds and they are some of the most beautiful dresses at the powwows. I enjoyed the story and the way the girl was reluctant to take too many jingles from any one dress, so the dresses wouldn't

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"lose their voices."

This could be used to teach about dance around the world or Native American culture.

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This story is about a girl named Jenna that wants to be in the Jungle Dance. So she gets from everyone in her family the jingles tht she needs to put on her skirt for the dance. Then at the end of the story Jenna has put the jingles on her skirt with the help of her grandmother and dances for

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everyone at the jungle dance.

Going to a pow wow is a great way to see different cultures. Then learning that everyones culture is different all over the world.

In the classroom discussing with the students that are from different back grounds have different cultures from everyone else. This would be a good idea to have the student write where they are from and what religion is and how they celebrate christmas and thankgiving. Then have each child discuss how they celebrate theae holiday from each culture.

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When Jenna realizes that she cannot be a part of the deep-rooted sacred Jingle dance because she does not have the required bells for the dress, she sets out to find a way to make her dream come true. Along the way, she touches hearts as she will touch yours as well.

This would make a great book to include in a unit on Native Americans. There are a lot of places in the text that would allow for an exploration of Native American culture, such as Ragalia, powwow, bounce-steps, etc.

All Jenna wanted to do was jingle dance like her Grandmother Wolfe, but she did not have any jingles. So, she asked Great-aunt Sis, Mrs. Scott, and cousin Elizabeth for jingles. Jenna only needed one more row of jingles but where should she turn? Grandmother Wolfe gladly gave Jenna jingles to make

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her fourth row. Jenna jingle danced at the powwow just like her grandmother. The author's note is very informative talking about the Ojibway tribe and their customs.

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Good story time book about the native american indian culture

The Jingle Dancer is a modern story of a young Native American girl named Jenna who helps to continue the traditions of her people. Jenna travels through her day searching for a way to overcome the dilemma she faces. She solves the problem with the help of her family and friends.
This book is

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probably not my favorite, but I felt it important to read books that include ethnical diversity. The story was predictable, but when the author tries to incorporate the Native American lifestyle of today into the story, I felt it was a little less then enthusiastic. The words did not seem to fit the pictures.
This book would be good to use with a lesson on diversity. The students would do a “How we are the Same” poster to demonstrate how everyone might be different, we are still the same.
When presenting a unit on Oklahoma History, you could include this book to compare cultures of the tribes now living inhere. The Author’s note gives information about the different tribes.
The students could also collect items, such as canning lids, and create their own dance regalia.

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Jenna wants to jingle dance at the next powwow, but her dress has no jingles. She borrows jingles from family and dances for them with pride.

Jenna dreams of being a jingle dancer like her Grandma Wolfe, but where will she find the four rows of jingles she needs to make her dress "sing?" The answer comes to her as she visits the older women of her community, from Great-aunt Sis, whose legs are not as strong as they once were, to Cousin

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Elizabeth, whose job as an attorney keeps her so busy that she sometimes has to miss powwow.

The story of a contemporary Muskogee (Creek) girl, Jingle Dancer was Cynthia Leitich Smith's first book, and offers a gentle narrative that emphasizes the importance of familial and communal bonds. I appreciated the message that sharing is the answer, when resources are scarce, and liked the reciprocity of the story. Jenna's elders each give her some of their jingles, and she in turn gives them her dance.

Like many other reviewers, I was impressed by this simple picture book, which depicts a young Native American girl and her community in the "here and now," rather than in some historical or legendary setting, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good story-hour selection. The narrative flows smoothly, and is well-matched by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu's soft watercolor illustrations.

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Jenna wants to jingle dance at the next pow wow, but she does not have enough jingles for her dress. She asked all the women in her village. Lastly she needs one more row of jingles so she asks her grandma, who inspired her in the beginning. She gets all her jingles and is able to perform at the

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pow wow. This book teaces traditions and heritage of this young Mgochee girl.

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Jenna wants to jingle dance at the next powwow, but her dress has no jingles. She borrows jingles from family and dances for them with pride.

Review: This book was very interesting to read and appropriate for children of all ages. The lesson of this story is about family history and how important traditions are.

Summary: This story is about a little girl named Jenna who loves the tradition of jingle dancing. She has a problem because her

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dress has no jingles on it so she doesn't think that she will be able to dance for the next powwow.

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Jenna wants to dance like her grandma, and most of the women in her family. It takes a special row to make the dress. She ask all of the women in the family if she could borrow a row. They were delighted to loan to her the row if she would dance for them. This is handed down from generations.Not to

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be confused with a costume. Regalia is a valued accessory for the dancers. Powwow is Native American social spiritual event.

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Jenna wants to dance like the other woman. She asks family to borrow jingles. They agree and she can dance!
Ages 4-6 and up.

Jenna wants to dance at the powwow but needs jingles for her dress. Jenna works hard visiting her family and doing favors in order to borrow the jingles. This story is told from the perspective a girl from the Muscogee Nation who lives in Oklahoma.

This is a story of how family comes together to keep traditions alive even when modern life sometimes gets in the way.

This book is about a Native American girl and her coming of age to participate in the traditional dance of her people. She works and gathers all she needs to participate in the ritual dance representing the rainfall.

Summer read