Hiawatha

Overview

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Booklist Editor’s Choice

Rich in imagery and detail, this exquisitely rendered picture book introduces readers to one of America’s favorite classic poems, “The Song of Hiawatha” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Illustrated by Susan Jeffers, the Caldecott-Honor winning author of Three Jovial Huntsmen, A Mother Goose Rhyme, this book beautifully weaves together oral traditions of American Indian culture and presents a charming and hypnotic account of Hiawatha’s boyhood.

“Exquisite, detailed illustrations grace this picture book which presents the part of Longfellow’s stirring poem dealing with Hiawatha’s boyhood and his relationship to his grandmother, who teaches him about the ways of animals and the forces of nature. The illustrator’s careful research on flora and fauna and woodland Indian culture is evident. Some of the poem’s background is explained in a note at the beginning. This is truly a picture book for all ages.”–Children’s Literature (emphasis added)