This is a cute little coloring book for youngsters who have Native American blood! It teaches them information about the Dakota Indians as well as creating a fun way to learn. Since coloring is a childhood favorite, this is a great way to get some information across to youngsters.

Dakota Spring is a book were the father has been hurt and now the mean Grandmother has to come and take care of two children until the father gets better. The grandmother is grouchy about coming to their house and she is always grouchy it seems. The little boy trys to look good for the Grandmother, but instead he looks horrible from his haircut. The mother has died so that makes things even harder. The girl has to read a poem for the begining of spring in Dakota. As the book goes on a tornado comes and the question that then goes through your mind and that is the great part of the plot. The question is, will the grandmother become nice or will she be mean through the tornado? Another question, how long will it take for dad to get better? The way this book ends the conflict is grand. It was a good book.

I had the chance to meet John Egan, the author of this book, on a couple of occasions, and would not have ever heard of it if it weren't for that. Armed with only my curiosity, I purchased a copy and found an interesting story that I had never heard mentioned before. The book is about Thomas Egan, a homesteader who is accused of murdering his wife. We follow his trial, gruesome execution, and the eventual clearing of all charges against him.

The author employs a writing style that is not exactly academic, though the information is conveyed clearly enough. There is a lot of somewhat frustrating attempts by the author to know what is impossible to know. He often tries to suggest what Egan may have been thinking at a particular time, or the reactions of his neighbors, or even the way the accused may have looked at someone. There is no evidence for any of these things, and the need of the author to try to surmise them takes the reader off track. There is plenty of evidence about why Egan did not commit the murder, though the most important pieces are not introduced until the end of the story. In that way, the book plays out more like a mystery novel than an academic study. That is not necessarily a bad thing, however. It just means that the book must be read in a different way.

By the conclusion, it is easy enough to see that Egan is in fact innocent, and that a person suffered a grotesque death (you'll have to read the story to see exactly what happened--I found it to be a shocking indicment of the competence of the executioners, or possibly even Divine Intervention, if one is inclined to be believe in that sort of thing) who did not deserve that type of fate. Some large questions are asked about prejudice and the justice of the death penalty. This short book packs quite a punch when all is said and done. I admit that through the first half of it, I did not feel much sympathy for Thomas Egan, but by the time the second shoe drops, it is clear that a massive miscarriage of justice has occurred. These are the types of stories that must not be forgotten. They must be told so future generations do not make the same mistakes that their predecessors did. Congratulations to John Egan for having the perseverance to tell this one.

Very well laid out and easy to use. It has info on where to stay and what to do. Other books are more complete but this one does OK. I would recommend it

This book brings a theorectical analysis of the subject of american Indian education that is still fresh today. The problems associated with Indian education raised in this text are sadly still with us and much of the reason for that continuing problem can be found in the failure of the educators, whose job it is to teach American Indian youth, to follow some of the suggestions contained in this text. On the down side, the statistics in this text are dated and in need of revision. I would still even with that proviso recommend it heartily to any anthropologist or educational theorist looking into problems associated with Indian educational failure. Buy this book!

I grew up two miles and one generation away from the setting of this story. It brought back childhood memories of familiar locations and names. The author uses an interesting technique of telling the story with different points of view in each chapter. It makes for enjoyable reading even though it's a mostly fiction story based on real characters. The author's POV is used often enough to bring out the emotions of a coming-of-age story and the social aspects of mid-Thirties farm life. There are many similarities between this Hidewood memoir and mine, "A Farm in the Hidewood: My South Dakota Home."

Tabitha's the daughter of a *very* conservative minister in North Dakota in 1899, when anthropologists are just beginning to show up looking for dinosaur skeletons. Her father's convinced these skeletons have been planted there by the devil, and forbid's Tabitha from even trying to learn more about them, let alone join an excavation team. So Tabitha dresses up as a boy, claiming to be a twin brother called Tom, and sneaks out to be on a team, with the help of an older woman friend, Abby.

When I first opened this book, I was a little skeptical, it seemed like it was going to be easy reading, and I was very frightened at the prospect of a romantic element finding it's way in there, which would cause all sorts of problems for Tabbie (since she's dressed up as a guy and all). But while it was kind of an easy read, it was very enjoyable. I could hardly put this book down Christmas morning as it's very engaging and you always want to find out how Tabitha gets herself out of each difficult situation she gets herself into (and, thankfully, they're realistic situations, and they aren't portrayed as being all her fault just because she's a ditzy girl who has no place in science, as she eventually proves she's more capable than many of the men on the expedition).

The only thing that keeps this from getting 5 stars is the end. I'm not going to give details, obviously, but several characters make complete turn arounds in the last few pages that aren't explained.

In publishing A Guidebook to Mining in America the author has admirably accomplished a daunting task. Composed of two volumes, one covering the Western United States and the other covering the Eastern States, the guidebook is the best and only compilation that I have seen on the what, where and how to visit historic mine sites, museums, furnaces, and related sites in the 50 states (plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.). It includes more than 1,700 entries with 51 maps and 374 black and white photographs. Most entries include substantial background information-mostly historical-while 130 text inserts provide greater depth on selected topics.

Although the Guidebook is likely to be of particular interest to mining history buffs, anyone else with a penchant for history-particularly industrial history-who enjoys visiting such sites will appreciate this book. These volumes provide an introduction to the mining industries of nearly every region of the United States, with substantial information regarding corresponding exhibits and sites one can visit. The user will find it quite helpful to have such information at hand regarding the potential of an area as a first step in planning a vacation. Educators should be able to select appropriate mineral industry-related topics and field trips to supplement their curriculum. Furthermore, this publication will benefit mineral collectors; they will be able to plan more fruitful excursions to distant mining districts.

The breadth of scope of the historical coverage in the Guidebook is impressive, covering aspects of the mineral industry from mining to transportation to primary processing of mineral resources, from prehistoric times to the present. A selection of interesting examples includes: Thomas Edison's attempts at magnetic beneficiation of iron ores, lead mining and smelting by the Indian tribes of the Upper Mississippi Valley, potash mines in the Southwest, sapphire mines in Montana and diamond mines in Arkansas, historic railroads in Alaska, iron ore boats of the Great Lakes, chromium mining in Maryland, titanium mining in Florida, and sea-salt manufacture on Cape Cod. Of course, you will find California gold and the expected Rocky Mountain mining camps represented, in addition to copper mining in Michigan and gold districts of the Southeast.

Several notable features of the guidebook include an informative glossary of mining terms (in Volume 2, East), extensive cross-referencing of related sites and topics (i.e. Ely, Vermont to Ely, Nevada, both of which are named for Smith Ely who developed copper mines at both locations), and addresses of state geological surveys and state tourism offices to contact for further information. In order to compress so much information without resorting to tiny print, the author relies heavily on symbols to communicate important information on the many site entries. This can be a little confusing, but if the patient reader first reads the Introduction and Guide to Entries (in Volume 1, West) and refers back to the legend of Abbreviations and Symbols on the inside cover of either volume as needed, a little practice will build familiarity with the system.

Any such Guidebook will always be incomplete, information will be dated before it is published, and inaccuracies are inevitable. The author could not visit all of the sites listed in his volumes, but sought feedback from others and made repeated inquiries to the places he had not visited. He acknowledges and addresses this shortcoming with advice on how to confirm and find out further information. Furthermore, the font selected is quite readable and the scanned photographs complement the text of the entries, adding to one's anticipation of visiting a historic mine-related site.

The Haunted City of Gold is a wonderful adventure filled book for young readers. A top secret agent named Dakota King tells of his amazing quest for the haunted city of gold through tape recordings (taken from his secret wrist watch recorder), skeches, letters, notes, and computer print outs. All through-out the book Dakota and his trusted friend Longh Gonh take you through the discovering of clues, adventures, and enconters with death at every turn. At the end you face a bundle of suprises and then you must find the solution to the case of The Haunted City of Gold before checking your solution against the answer at the end of the book. I really enjoyed this book and hope that it may be republished in the future along with others in the series. I look forward to reading them all.

The Hoop of Peace records the timeless tradition of the hoop dance, a gift of the Lakota people to the rest of humanity. Author Jan Havnen-Finley and artist Ken "Rainbow Cougar" Edwards effectively combine text, black-and-white sketches, and photographs of hoop dancer, Kevin Locke, to convey the great vision of the Sioux holy man, Black Elk. This vision is a time when there is peace among the tribes and all nations---a valuable vision for all (grades 2 - 5). Iowa Reading Journal October, 1995