(3) K-3 Illustrated by Hawlii Pichette. A Native (Nation not specified) boy named Bineshii excitedly attends a powwow with his mother. The rhythmic text conveys the sights (including a firework display), sounds (onomatopoeia abounds), and tastes of the experience. Bineshii enjoys traditional Indigenous foods (bannock and strawberry juice) and watches jingle dancers perform until, moved by “the heartbeat of the drum,” he joins them. Woodland style-inspired illustrations capture personal aspects of the public event and the uniqueness of each’s dancer’s regalia. Back matter includes a rudimentary overview of the powwow tradition.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(2) 4-6 Through this linked anthology by seventeen contributors, readers experience "What Is a Powwow?" (the title of Kim Rogers's opening poem), as characters converge in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the Dance for Mother Earth Powwow. Rory begins to heal from his father's abusive words and embrace his Indigenous heritage ("Fancy Dancer" by Monique Gray Smith). Aiden travels with his foster parents to meet his brother and dance in his first powwow (David A. Robertson's "Brothers"). Amber, whose sister battled cancer, receives a new dress for the Jingle Dance ("Secret and Surprises" by Traci Sorell). Some of the attendees live locally, while others travel from places including Oklahoma and Missouri; some live in the city, while others live on the reservation. This anthology offers readers a variety of images of Native children while also introducing them to vocabulary from several different Indigenous languages, compiled in an appended glossary. According to Rogers's poem: "A powwow is / friends and family / ...a way to remember those / who've passed on / ...a place for belly-laughing / ...healing / and soul-soothing," and this volume reflects all of those elements and more. Notes and acknowledgments, contributor bios, and an editor's note are appended.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright & Ying-Hwa Hu. Jenna, who lives in a suburban Oklahoma neighborhood, is of Muscogee and Ojibway descent. She borrows jingles--metal cones--from four important women in her life, so that her jingle dress will have its own voice for her first powwow dance. Dance regalia and modern-day life are ably depicted in fluid watercolors. The text's folkloric style is sometimes at odds with the contemporary story. Glos.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 First Book series. Accompanying Little Man, a young Abenaki boy, to a powwow, Greene discusses various aspects of the Native American gathering and provides basic history and background information. Color photographs enhance the dry text, which lacks the energy of other books on the same topic, such as George Ancona's Powwow. A list of organizations and websites is appended. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Debbie Reese