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nikkigee81's review against another edition
4.0
1. Culture or group portrayed: Native Americans, specifically Choctaw.
2. Book information: Tingle, T. (2010). Saltypie: a Choctaw Journey from Darkness into Light. El Paso, Texas: Cinco Puntos Press.
3. Summary: This book is about Mr. Tingle’s experiences as a young boy, and learning about his family, especially his grandmother, who he calls MawMaw. Every time there is some sort of adversity or hardship, the family calls it “saltypie,” which young Tim eventually learns is a way to shrug it off, and move on. The origin of the word comes from Tim’s father as a child; the family had moved to Texas, and Tim’s mawmaw was hit by a rock from a random kid when she walked out of her door one morning; as she cried, the blood was coming down her hand and Tim’s father thought it was something else, like pie filling, and put it in his mouth, then spat it out, exclaiming “Saltypie!” Mr. Tingle also tells us why his grandma always put her thumb in the coffee cup as she poured.
4. Cultural/Multicultural evaluation: Both the author and the illustrator are Choctaw, and the illustrations are absolutely beautiful and work very well with the stories about young Tim and his grandmother. One of the pictures I especially liked is when the entire extended family is waiting in the hospital after Mawmaw undergoes surgery, and there are ghostly imprints of the family that have passed, waiting, too. For a short book, Mr. Tingle covers a lot of ground: racism, resilience, the importance of family, and so on. There is also a great afterword by the author, entitled, “How Much Do We Tell Them?” which illustrates the problem we still have today, of accurately portraying Native Americans.
5. Conclusion/verdict: Highly recommended. This is an enjoyable and wonderful book for ANY age group.
2. Book information: Tingle, T. (2010). Saltypie: a Choctaw Journey from Darkness into Light. El Paso, Texas: Cinco Puntos Press.
3. Summary: This book is about Mr. Tingle’s experiences as a young boy, and learning about his family, especially his grandmother, who he calls MawMaw. Every time there is some sort of adversity or hardship, the family calls it “saltypie,” which young Tim eventually learns is a way to shrug it off, and move on. The origin of the word comes from Tim’s father as a child; the family had moved to Texas, and Tim’s mawmaw was hit by a rock from a random kid when she walked out of her door one morning; as she cried, the blood was coming down her hand and Tim’s father thought it was something else, like pie filling, and put it in his mouth, then spat it out, exclaiming “Saltypie!” Mr. Tingle also tells us why his grandma always put her thumb in the coffee cup as she poured.
4. Cultural/Multicultural evaluation: Both the author and the illustrator are Choctaw, and the illustrations are absolutely beautiful and work very well with the stories about young Tim and his grandmother. One of the pictures I especially liked is when the entire extended family is waiting in the hospital after Mawmaw undergoes surgery, and there are ghostly imprints of the family that have passed, waiting, too. For a short book, Mr. Tingle covers a lot of ground: racism, resilience, the importance of family, and so on. There is also a great afterword by the author, entitled, “How Much Do We Tell Them?” which illustrates the problem we still have today, of accurately portraying Native Americans.
5. Conclusion/verdict: Highly recommended. This is an enjoyable and wonderful book for ANY age group.
renee_b's review against another edition
4.0
Tim Tingle gives an autobiographical account of himself as a child, and his close relationship to his blind grandmother. Pieces of Choctaw history are woven into the narrative, including his grandmother’s time at an Indian boarding school. Recommended for third grade and up
brucefarrar's review
5.0
Starting with his childhood memories of his grandmother comforting him after being stung by a bee, Tingle then goes on to tell of her move to Pasadena, Texas from Oklahoma in 1915, and how, once there, as a young mother, she was hit in the eye by a rock thrown at her because she was an American Indian. How their Choctaw family dealt with that unprovoked hate crime and life’s other trial and disappointments carries forward to 1970 when an eye transplant enabled her to regain her sight.
Clarkson’s soft lines and dramatic use of background color highlights the shifting mood of Tingle’s family story that spans decades and generations. In addition, an afterword by him, illustrated with family photos, talks about the perceptions and misperceptions that many Americans have about the original inhabitants of the land. This book is a powerful addition to his original oral story:[b:Walking the Choctaw Road CD: Stories from Red People Memory|2073280|Walking the Choctaw Road CD Stories from Red People Memory|Tim Tingle|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1354208518s/2073280.jpg|1561814].
Clarkson’s soft lines and dramatic use of background color highlights the shifting mood of Tingle’s family story that spans decades and generations. In addition, an afterword by him, illustrated with family photos, talks about the perceptions and misperceptions that many Americans have about the original inhabitants of the land. This book is a powerful addition to his original oral story:[b:Walking the Choctaw Road CD: Stories from Red People Memory|2073280|Walking the Choctaw Road CD Stories from Red People Memory|Tim Tingle|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1354208518s/2073280.jpg|1561814].
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