Muskrat Will Be Swimming Cheryl Savageau Illustrated by Robert Hynes Paperback, $7.95, ISBN 978-0-88448-280-2 9 x 10, 32 pages, color illustrations Children / Native American; Grades 3-6

Notable Books for Children, Smithsonian Skipping Stones Book Award for Exceptional Multicultural and Nature/Ecology Books

Wordcraft Circle Writer of the Year

". . . one of my favorite books for young readers, not just for the beautiful illustrations which avoid stereotypes while portraying northeast Native reality, but for its poetic, memorable text. No children's writer I know has done a better job of putting our traditions into the context of modern times while also dealing with the issue of mixed-blood ancestry in a way that is both honest and heart-lifting."
—Joseph Bruchac, author of Raccoon's Last Race, Jim Thorpe's Bright Path, and many other books

This is a quiet tale of a Native American girl who, with gentle guidance from her grandfather, learns to find strength, not fear, in her identity as a Native person living in an Anglo society. Beautifully illustrated and complete with a Seneca creation story, Muskrat Will Be Swimming demonstrates how the ancient stories of Native American cultures are used to help today's children find their way in the world. It is a treasure for all who have ever dealt with the fear of being different.

Cheryl Savageau grew up a "lake rat" on the shores of a lake in Massachusetts, where she spent a lot of time swimming, canoeing, and walking the shoreline. She is French and Abenaki. She lives in New Hampshire now with her husband Bill and three cats. Cheryl is a poet, quilter, and storyteller, and teaches part-time at the University of New Hampshire in Durham.

Robert Hynes's murals at the Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., launched his career, and he has illustrated several dozen adult and children's books for the National Geographic Society and other publishers. He lives in Rockville,

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