Wilma's Way Home: The Life of Wilma Mankiller (A Big Words Book)

by Doreen Rappaport (Author) Linda Kukuk (Illustrator)

Wilma's Way Home: The Life of Wilma Mankiller (A Big Words Book)
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

As a child in Oklahoma, Wilma Mankiller experienced the Cherokee practice of Gadugi, helping each other, even when times were hard for everyone. But in 1956, the federal government uprooted her family and moved them to California, wrenching them from their home, friends, and traditions. Separated from her community and everything she knew, Wilma felt utterly lost until she found refuge in the Indian Center in San Francisco. There, she worked to build and develop the local Native community and championed Native political activists. She took her two children to visit tribal communities in the state, and as she introduced them to the traditions of their heritage, she felt a longing for home.

Returning to Oklahoma with her daughters, Wilma took part in Cherokee government. Despite many obstacles, from resistance to female leadership to a life-threatening accident, Wilma's courageous dedication to serving her people led to her election as the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation. As leader and advocate, she reinvigorated her constituency by empowering them to identify and solve community problems.

This beautiful addition to the Big Words series will inspire future leaders to persevere in empathy and thoughtful problem-solving, reaching beyond themselves to help those around them. Moving prose by award-winning author Doreen Rappaport is interwoven with Wilma's own words in this expertly researched biography, illustrated with warmth and vivacity by Linda Kukuk.

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Hardcover
$18.99

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Kirkus

Gives readers a sense of intimacy. A solid resource for a classroom or school library about a phenomenal Cherokee woman that feels a bit like flipping through a family photo album.

School Library Journal

Gr 1-5--Rappaport's latest recounts the life of Wilma Mankiller. She grew up "dirt poor" in Oklahoma, and her family survived by following Gadugi, the philosophy of helping one another, trading for the necessities to live. She and her family were uprooted to San Francisco as a result of the Relocation Act. Kukuk's illustrations draw parallels between Mankiller's experiences and those of her Cherokee ancestors, who were forced to walk the Trail of Tears. Feeling alone and disconnected from her Native roots, she found belonging at the Indian Center in San Francisco. Mankiller took part in the occupation of Alcatraz Island, which set her on the path of activism, and eventually returned to Oklahoma, where she learned to help her people by listening first and working together to solve problems. She became the first woman chief of the Cherokee Nation, not without resistance. Her legacy lives on through Native people as a strong leader who believed collaboration was the only way to govern. In an author's note, Rappaport discusses meeting with Mankiller's husband and friends; also included are a time line, a pronunciation guide, a bibliography, and source notes. Kukuk's artwork brings Mankiller to life, from her childhood days to her sunset. VERDICT An important read for all libraries, this work highlights a strong woman who left a vital message for future leaders.--Amy Zembroski, Indian Community School, Franklin, WI

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes



Doreen Rappaport
Doreen Rappaport has written numerous award-winning books for children, including Freedom Ship and The School Is Not White (both illustrated by Curtis James); Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a Caldecott Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Honor Book illustrated by Bryan Collier; and John's Secret Dreams: The Life of John Lennon, also illustrated by Bryan Collier.

London Ladd has illustrated a number of children's books, including the award-winning March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World by Christine King Farris, Under the Freedom Tree by Susan VanHecke, and Lend a Hand by John Frank. He teaches art at an inner-city after-school program, and hopes to one day open an art center so that families can develop projects of their own. He lives and creates in Syracuse, New York. Visit him at londonladd.com.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781484747186
Lexile Measure
840
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date
February 12, 2019
Series
A Big Words Book
BISAC categories
JNF007050 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Cultural Heritage
JNF007110 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Social Activists
JNF018040 - Juvenile Nonfiction | People & Places | United States - Native American
JNF043000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Social Science | Politics & Government
Library of Congress categories
Kings and rulers
Cherokee Indians
Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma
Mankiller, Wilma Pearl
Cherokee women

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