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How raven got his crooked nose : an Alaskan Dena'ina fable  Cover Image Book Book

How raven got his crooked nose : an Alaskan Dena'ina fable / retold by Barbara J. Atwater and Ethan J. Atwater ; illustrated by Mindy Dwyer.

Atwater, Barbara J., (author.). Atwater, Ethan J., (author.). Dwyer, Mindy, 1957- (illustrator.).

Summary:

Chulyen, a trickster raven, loses his nose in an embarrassing incident, but vows to get it back. With the help of magic powers, Chulyen devises a caper to retrieve his missing nose, and learns an important lesson along the way. Part picture book, part graphic novel, this story is a modern retelling of a traditional Alaskan Dena'ina fable that kids of every age will love. -- From back cover.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9781513260952
  • ISBN: 1513260952
  • Physical Description: 1 volume (unpaged) : chiefly color illustrations, color map ; 27 cm
  • Publisher: [Berkeley, California] : Alaska Northwest Books, [2018]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references.
Target Audience Note:
Age 5.
AD530L Lexile
Structure indicator: 90 (high) Syntactic indicator: 70 (medium) Semantic indicator: 90 (high) Decoding indicator: 70 (medium) Lexile.
Language Note:
Includes some Athabaskan words.
Subject: Folklore > North America > Alaska.
Dena'ina Indians > Folklore.
Ravens > Fiction.
Indians of North America > Alaska > Folklore.
Alaska > Folklore.

Available copies

  • 2 of 2 copies available at Kenton County.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 2 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Covington Branch J 398.209701 Atwa (Text) 33126024603486 JNonfiction Available -
Erlanger Branch J 398.209701 Atwa (Text) 33126024603494 JNonfiction Available -

  • School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 2018 March

    PreS-Gr 2—A grandmother shares a traditional Dena'ina tale about Raven, an oft-featured trickster deity in Alaskan Native mythology. The Dena'ina people live in Southcentral Alaska, part of the Athabascan language group and this tale was passed on from an elder to the authors (his niece and great nephew). In the book, the grandmother and child perform traditional activities (berry picking, salmon fishing, and cleaning) in a contemporary setting while she retells the story. (One quibble regarding the chronology of the artwork: the pair is first shown cleaning a fish and next they are shown catching one, which may confuse young readers.) The font and illustration style differ in the present narrative and the animal fable. The scenes of the retelling are visually strong; their bold style pays homage to traditional painting and mask styles. In comparison, the artwork accompanying the matriarch and her grandchild looks amateurish. Laced throughout are Dena'ina words with pronunciation guides. Back matter includes more information on Dena'ina storytelling and people, a glossary, and suggested further reading. These provide only the briefest glimpses into a complex culture, but will round out the story sufficiently for most readers and encourage the curious to seek more information. The conversational writing style and the clean layout design make this an easy read-aloud choice to share with a group. VERDICT A fine addition to nonfiction collections to highlight Dena'ina culture and traditional stories.—Elizabeth Nicolai, Anchorage Public Library, AK

    Copyright 2018 School Library Journal.

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