Pushing up the Sky Seven Native American Plays for Children [Hardcover]

From acclaimed Native American storytellerJoseph Bruchaccomes a collection of seven lively plays for children to perform, each one adapted from a different traditional Native tale. Filled with heroes and tricksters, comedy and drama, these entertaining plays are a wonderful way to bring Native cultures to life for young people. Each play has multiple parts that can be adjusted to suit the size of a particular group and includes simple, informative suggestions for props, scenery, and costumes that children can help to create. Introductory notes and beautiful, detailed illustrations add to young readers' understanding of the seven Native nations whose traditions have inspired the plays.Joseph Bruchac is a highly acclaimed children's book author, poet, novelist and storyteller, as well as a scholar of Native American culture. Coauthor with Michael Caduto of the bestselling Keepers of the Earth series, Bruchac's poems, articles and stories have appeared in hundreds of publications, from Akwesasne Notes and American Poetry Review to National Geographic and Parabola. He has authored many books for adults and children includingCode Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two,Skeleton Man, andThe Heart of a Chief. For more information about Joseph, please visit his website www.josephbruchac.com.

Possum’s Tail

Cherokee

The Cherokee people originally lived in the area now known as the states of Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Because they adapted so quickly to the European way of life, they became known as one of the “civilized tribes.” However, long before the coming of Europeans they had a sophisticated form of government and lived in large, well-organized villages. 

 

In the early 1800s many Cherokee people were forced to leave their homes and move to Indian Territory by traveling the infamous Trail of Tears. Today Cherokee people live all over the United Sls(