The entire series is excellent!!! I have all four and I highly reccomend them. They teach science, literature, native american culture, and give children a respect for the natural world at the same time. (there is even the occasional bit of math thrown in). My son loves doing the activities with me! Excellent for unit studies!

We use this book as a homeschool social studies/ecology resource. Each section begins with a Native American story related to the topic of the chapter, then moves on to a discussion of the subject matter. Each section also has activities/experiments, questions for review and discussion, and recommendations for materials for further study. My kids really look forward to each lesson in this book, because the information is presented in a fun manner, and the activities are appropriate for a wide-range of ages!

The entire series is excellent!!! I have all four and I highly reccomend them. They teach science, literature, native american culture, and give children a respect for the natural world at the same time. (there is even the occasional bit of math thrown in). My son loves doing the activities with me! Excellent for unit studies!

While all of the "Keepers" books are excellent in their presentation of Native American stories and activities to enhance learning about the natural world, this one is my hands-down favorite. There is something magical about the night, and we have strayed so far from that magic in our incandescent world. The stories and activities in this book will allow you to try and recapture some of the enchantment of the nocturnal world for your kids and maybe even for yourself.

The stories themselves are very tellable. I have had sixth graders learn and tell these tales. The activities are broken into categories, such as the night sky or nocturnal animals. This is an excellent resource for anyone working with groups such as Scouts or nature centers, wishing to incorporate enjoyable activities and stories into their night-time programming.

As humans have done for eons before us, take this guidebook with you to your next campfire, and share the magic of stories spun by fireside.

...It is meant to accompany the book "Keepers of Life: Discovering Plants Through Native American Stories and Earth Activities for Children" The teachers guide is good, but it is not simply a teachers edition of the other book. It doesn't just have a bunch of answers (there are no tests or quizes in the first book anyway). It has suggestions and activities to add to the experience of the the first book, but it isn't necissary for you to have this book to get good use out of the main book, which is written to be used by a teacher anyway, not individual students.

I've been lucky enough to see Michael Caduto perform theseNative stories in person. He brings Native beliefs to life inunexpected and delightful ways. The stories he and Josheph Bruchac have put together here do the same thing. They give young readers a chance to explore Native cultures while they learn and enjoy the stories! In addition to Native tales, this book provides factual information and activities on nature and animals. It's an outstanding resource for teachers, parents, and kids of all ages.

Joseph Bruchac is a natural stort teller. This whole series is wonderful. I have used these books with children from the ages of four through fourteen. But of all of them the cassette of The Keepers of the Animals is my favorite and the only one that I cannot keep because I am continually giving it away. It is not only the quality of Bruchac's voice but also the cadence that he brings to the telling that adds a resonance, a native rhthym to the stories, that enhances understanding. This is the way that these stories should be told and should be heard. Native American culture has a rich oral tradition and the sounds, the rhthyms of the language are an important part of the telling of a story. We may not have the sounds of the language per se except in the names but we can hear a little of the native cadence in Bruchac's delivery. These are wonderful tapes for small children and again this is my very favorite.

An excellent reference for teachers and parents alike, this book contains Native legends related to gardening as well as projects based on the tales, gardening tips, helpful suggestions for beginners, recipes to use your garden's new- found bounty, and much more!
Joseph Bruchac is a very well-known storyteller in the Native American community. Along with his various co-authors in his different books, he combines storytelling with various teaching and family-based activities. I collect his books, because they are both a great reference for Native American mythology and belief, but also because my daughter and I can then turn around and learn together about the great past of the United States.

Its a great book i needed it for a science fair project and it helped me out alot i had 1 day and it practically did it for me!!

This book is a fascinating way to help children connect with the natural world while teaching important environmental concepts. It comes with a guide to use the book effectively, and is divided into sections of special topics. Each section contains a Native American story, discussion ideas, interesting questions, and related indoor and outdoor activities. These activities can be accomplished without expensive materials, often in or near the home or school. Oh, by the way, adults will learn from this book also!

I am a homeschooling mom and I bought this book to use with my kindergartener. This is an amazing book that combines social studies and science wonderfully. It contains alot about american indian beliefs and practices, distinguishing between the many tribal groups and traditions instead of lumping them all into one large culture. It uses indian legends as a jumping off point to study the environment, how it affects us and how we affect it.

This could have been a much longer book, since there is an almost endless number of Native American stories dealing with animals. Bruchac made a good selection, though, and the stories of a wide variety of North American native peoples are represented here. All of them show the importance of animals to the Native Americans in that they are central to creation myths, as well as tales of friendship and those providing numerous survival instructions. Bruchac kept the prose simple, making this book ideal for children. Also useful is the glossary at the end, and the descriptions of tribal nations which provide a great deal of useful information on the major North American peoples.