Debby Slier

Illustrated with color photographs, this lovely little board book profiles ten Native American babies, each held safely in their cradleboard - a traditional native baby carrier. Each page features a one-word description of what the baby is doing, from yawning to thinking, while the cradleboards themselves vary in style. On the final two-page spread, the tribal origin of each cradleboard is revealed...

Published in 2012, Cradle Me was issued in this English language edition, as well as bilingual Ojibwe/English (Dakonaawasotawishin / Cradle Me) and Navajo/English (Dah shííł tééł / Cradle Me) editions. The book will appeal to infants, who always enjoy looking at photographs of other infants - we get frequent requests for this kind of book, at work - as well as those looking for younger children's books with Native American content. I was fascinated to discover, during a cursory online search, that cradleboards are used, both by a wide array of Native American peoples, and also by the Saami, the indigenous peoples of far northern Europe and Eurasia. I would imagine that the design is very convenient, in that it keeps the baby close to the mother, even when she must work or move around. The cradleboards profiled here come from the: Goshute/Paiute, Ojibwe/Leech Lake, Arapaho, Northern Ute/Uintah, Pueblo, Kootenai/Salish, Navajo/Dineh, Shoshone, Nez Perce, Shoshone/Bannock, and Yurok/Hupa.

Recommended to anyone looking for board books featuring photographs of infants, as well as to those seeking board books with Native American content.… (mehr)

Summary:

Cradle me by Debby Slier is about 18 Native American families that go to the extreme to protect their newborn. Their traditions are different, but beautiful seeing that there customs are only to protect the baby with love and care. They protect the newborn by blessing a board that is then used as a cradle, so the baby is close to his or her mother.

Personal Reaction:

I love their customs, because it is centered on their future which is the baby. If they don’t protect the baby with care and love then Native American have no future. The well colorful pages attribute much showing the different babies in each tribe.

Classroom Extensions:

1. Have the class to make a cradle board using Styrofoam or cardboard and color it to their likings.
2. Have the children name 3 things to help assist their mom in caring for the baby.… (mehr)