CROSSING BOK CHITTO

By Tim Tingle Illustrated by Jeanne Rorex Bridges

Image Credit: www.goodreads.com

1. Bibliographic

 Tingle, Tim, and Jeanne Rorex Bridges. Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos, 2006. Print. ISBN 9780938317777

2. Plot Summary

Bok Chitto is a river that runs through the Mississippi where one side of the river is the Choctaws and the other side is a plantation and home to many slaves. Martha Tom is a young Choctaw girl who crossed the river to find blueberries for a wedding. While there, she could not find her way back to the river and a slave's son, Little Mo takes her back to the river. Little Mo learns that his mother is going to be sold and asks Martha Tom for help. The Choctaws help Little Mo and his family across the river where they will become free.

3. Critical Analysis

Tim Tingle retells a wonderful story of people from other cultures who become friends and help each other at important times. In this story we see two families who are willing to help neighbors out. This is a story that many older elementary children would enjoy.

In this Native American book, we see four motifs present in this story. The candles held by the Native American women while the slaves are crossing the river represent fire. The river represents the water, the earth is represented as the outside church for the slaves, and wind is represented when "the old men began to sing the old wedding song." This wedding song is sung in Native American language.

The illustrations done by Jeanne Rorex Bridges are full page spreads with natural colors and fine details. When Little Mo's family became invisible, Bridge's illustration portray them just enough that the reader can see them and the guards could not. The Choctaw women are portrayed with long dark hair and brown skin. Many of the men also have long hair that is braided on the sides. The clothing looks to be of simple print. Their shoes include moccasins that we would normally see on Native Americans.  We do not see any leather or other clothing like fringes or headdresses that most people would label as Native American.

4. Reviews and Awards

 ~SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (07/2006): "The layout is well designed for groups as the images are large and easily seen from a distance. There is a note on modern Choctaw culture, and one on the development of this particular work. This is a lovely story, beautifully illustrated, though the ending requires a somewhat large leap of the imagination."

~LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION (11/2006): "Tingle brings this early American tale to print as a strong read- aloud for young or middle level students or for a great quick read for older readers. The language is vividly brought to life through rich earthen-toned illustrations by Jeanne Rorex Bridges."

5. Connections
~Read this story as an introduction to Native American Literature study and then research more about Native Americans.