Omakayas is a 7 year old Native American girl who is trying to find her place in the world and her family. This story takes place in 1847 when the Native Americans were starting to feel the pressure to move west from the white settlers. Omakayas tells her tale of a year in the life of her family. She has to do a lot of growing up in this story. This book does have sporatic pictures throughout the book which would make it a good choice for upper elementary students. There are some mature themes in the story including death. Readers who like Laura Ingalls Wilder will love "The Birchbark House".

"The only person left alive on the island was a baby girl."

Thus starts the first book in this series! And what a story it is! It is a story of an Ojibwa family, and their community, living through four seasons on the island. The reader is allowed a glimpse into the ways and traditions of the family in each season, often with very descriptive stories of how things are made and done. And we get some wonderful 'ancient' type stories too! And also some sad stories, like what happened when Small pox comes to the island in 1847.

“She held him when he died.” Poor baby News. And poor Omakayas!

Omakays is the main character of the book, "a nimble young girl of seven winters". Through her eyes, we see her family, friends, and her life on the island. It is infused with magic, mystery, joy, and sadness. And bears and a crow friend! And her journey leads her to an unexpected ending and discovery!

I really enjoyed this book! The writing is wonderful, and the author's illustrations are such an added bonus! I'm excited to read the next book and follow Omakays on her life's journey! And, p.s., I highly recommend that you use glossary at the back of the book when you come to an Ojibwa word that you don't know! It really enhanced my enjoyment of the book! ( )

Very good. It starts a bit slow, but picks up in wonderful detail the daily life of a young Ojibway girl and her life with her family. It certainly has a Little House on the Prairie feel. There was some harsh realities, like smallpox, which may be unavoidable in a story about First Nations persons who encounter European settlers pushing ever westward. ( )

A year in the life of an 8-YO Native American girl, we experience her happy childhood and the terror a stranger brings to town that changes her life forever. What stood out the most for me was the narrator who I initially thought over-emoted but who was clearly perfect for the job. She narrated all of the characters‘ voices so well, including the Native American language. It was impressive. ( )

This novel is a story about the life of a young Anishinaabe girl, Omakayas (Little Frog), who learns about life through tragedy, death, starvation, and herself. It displays activities that were commonly practiced by the Anishinaabe people through Omakayas' perspective. The settings take the reader through the four full seasons in the life of Anishinaabe people.

This novel is also enriched with Anishinaabe words, connection between human beings and nature, Anishinaabe beliefs, the effects of white people on Indigenous culture, and the will to survive. ( )