The Great North American Prairie

by St. Antoine, Sara; Nicholson, Trudy; Mirocha, Paul

• ISBN13: 9781571316301
• ISBN10: 1571316302
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-04-11
• Publisher: Milkweed Editions

Summary

The North American Prairie stretches from Alberta and Saskatchewan south to Texas, and from the edge of the Rockies east to Illinois. In the same vein as its predecessor about the North Atlantic Coast, this book gathers the literature of the North American Prairie as a way to introduce young readers to the region’s natural heritage. Herein readers will enjoy songs and narratives of Plains Indians, tales of 19th-century settlers, and contemporary essays and poems.

Table of Contents

An Invitation	xi
Adventures
``The Blizzard,'' an essay	5	(12)
Gary Penley
``Outside Abilene,''	17	(2)
Harley Elliott
``Homestead Girl,''	19	(8)
Cindy Rogers
``Midway Morning,''	27	(4)
Robin E. Kelsey
``Song of the Crow and Owl,'' a song from Siya ka (Standing Rock Reservation, the Dakotas)	31	(1)
``Corn,'' a story	32	(10)
E. G. Willy
``Mollie Goodnight,''	42	(2)
Elaine Terranova
``Riding the Rails,''	44	(5)
Carl Sandburg
``Tales from Tornado Alley,''	49	(3)
William Least Heat-Moon
``Dakota Thunderstorm,''	52	(1)
Laurence Snydal
``From Thin Air,''	53	(10)
Douglas C. Dosson
Great Places
``How to Live in Buffalo Country,''	63	(1)
Don Welch
``Springtime on the Plains,''	64	(7)
Hal Borland
``Ice Whales,''	71	(2)
Joyce Sidman
``The Last Best Swimming Hole,''	73	(4)
Patric Rowley
``The Country of Grass,'' an excerpt from My Antonia	77	(5)
Willa Cather
``Letter from Texas,''	82	(2)
Georgia O'Keeffe
``Reflections on Gullies,''	84	(6)
Art Bettis
``Children of the Sun,'' an Osage story (Illinois region)	90	(2)
``Prairie Fire,''	92	(2)
George Catlin
``Salamander,''	94	(9)
Jan Donley
``In the Autumn Grass,''	103	(2)
Hamlin Garland
``Big Grass,''	105	(10)
Louise Erdrich
Reapers and Sowers
``Going Home to Nicodemus,''	115	(8)
Daniel Chu
Bill Shaw
``Respberries,''	123	(2)
Georgia Cook
``A Poppin' Tale,''	125	(4)
Helen Colella
``Recollections,''	129	(5)
Iron Teeth
``Two Strangers Come to Maggie's Prairie,''	134	(9)
Carol Green
``cornfields thaw out,''	143	(2)
Alurista
``Disappearances,''	145	(11)
Julene Bair
``September in South Dakota,''	156	(2)
Sheryl L. Nelms
``Fire Crazy,''	158	(12)
Nancy Sather
``How to Replant a Prairie,''	170	(5)
Ann Lynn
Wild Lives
``Snow Print Two: Hieroglyphics,''	175	(1)
Barbara Juster Esbensen
``Nature's Ways,''	176	(8)
Sanora Babb
``Migration Prayer: The Geese Speak,''	184	(2)
Cynthia Pederson
``The Lesson of the Birds,'' a Pawnee story (Nebraska)	186	(2)
``Wawaskesy, the Windrunner,''	188	(7)
Gillian Richardson
``Prairie Dogs Live in Lubbock,''	195	(2)
Walt McDonald
``River Dance,''	197	(5)
Ann Cooper
``Tumbleweeds,''	202	(2)
Beverly A. J. Haley
``In the Open,''	204	(3)
Kathleen Norris
``Coyote Hunts,''	207	(5)
Nancy Dawson
``Goldfinches,''	212	(1)
Cynthia Pederson
``Bringing Back the Buffalo,''	213	(8)
Gretchen Woelfle
``Comic Owl,''	221	(2)
Ann Cooper
``Prairie Spirits on the Wing,''	223	(32)
Marybeth Lorbiecki
Appendixes: Ecology of the Great North American Prairie
What Is an Ecoregion?	233	(3)
Defining the Great North American Prairie	236	(2)
Habitats	238	(6)
Animals and Plants	244	(2)
Stories by State or Province	246	(4)
Parks and Preserves	250	(5)
Recommended Reading	255