Chickadee by Louise Erdrich

Bibliography

Erdrich, Louise, and Andrea Vandergrift. Chickadee. New York: Harper, 2012.

ISBN 9780060577902

 

Plot Summary

          Louise Erdrich continues her Birchbark House series about an Ojibwe family from the Upper Mid-West of America as they change their home from the forest to the plains in book four, Chicadee.

          Chicadee, named for the tiny bird that serves as his life guide, and his twin brother Makoons are now inseparable eight-year-olds.  When Makoons’ action to revenge Chicadee’s embarrassment at the hands of mean old Zhigaag causes a reciprocal act of revenge, the two boys are torn apart by a vicious act of violence on the part of Zhigaag’s sons.  In a chain reaction, some of the boys’ family members begin pursuit to rescue Chicadee and the rest pack the family’s belongings to follow and meet them in the plains village of Pembina.  The reader follows Chicadee as he encounters people who try to help him and life-threatening situations which test his self-reliance and survival skills.

          Erdrich has created a blend of Native American history, family dynamics, and spirituality with exciting adventures.  The reader is drawn into the experience of the Ojibwe way of life as the story of Chicadee’s capture and escape develops, leaving the reader in suspense about whether the twins will ever be reunited this side of the spirit world of the Ojibwe.

Critical Analysis

In melding the historical details of Native American customs, daily life, spirituality and language into an exciting and suspenseful adventure story about twin Ojibwe boys, Louise Erdrich accomplishes a fourth book in her Birchbark  House series, entitled Chicadee.

          Of Native American descent herself, Erdrich incorporates authentic detail in the exposition phase of the plot.  She explains family life as the Ojibwe live it in the mid-nineteenth century Minnesota woods and subsequently the Great Plains.  The story begins with a typical family discussion but is interspersed with what is happening to the father, Animikiins, as he struggles to survive a fall into a half-frozen river.  The use of juxtaposition continues throughout the narrative, giving the reader many suspenseful moments in the plot to experience along with historical details to appreciate. 

          All the elements of fiction are well-represented.  The plot has all of the characteristics of an exciting adventure tale: conflict, revenge, loss, and survival.  The setting is an integral part of the story.  From the “great stand of sugar maples” (22) in the forest to Chicadee’s first sight of the Plains, full of “emptiness” under a “vast sky” (54), the reader is treated to the majesty of unspoiled nature.  The theme is universal: a young boy struggles to survive and return home.

          Two literary qualities shine most in Erdrich’s Chicadee: character and style.  The reader feels the love and safety provided by the parents and grandparents.  “Show us how you kept the blankets warm with rocks . . . so we wouldn’t die” (6), Chicadee’s twin asked of his mother.  The closeness between Chickadee and Makoons, his twin, is evident as Makoon wastes away with a fever at being separated, perhaps forever, from his brother.  Finally, the horrible Zhigaag brothers, Baptiste and Babiche, are so very memorable their terrible treatment of Chickadee and their revolting bouyah stew.  The reader eventually becomes absorbed in the story, experiencing the action and observing the culture involving the characters. 

          Erdrich’s style is what attracts and holds the reader.  She uses authentic Obijbwemowin language throughout text, increasing the reader’s acquaintance with Native American spoken as it was.  Erdrich even supplies a glossary and pronunciation guide at the back of the book.  She includes an author’s note explaining her choice of dialect and spelling and referring the reader to source material for further information.  In addition, her point of view is as a child of eight’s would be, simple and straightforward.  Chicadee assesses his situation of being forced to ride in a dark sack on a horse as “No sense worrying about things now.  If I wiggle hard, I’ll just fall off” (49).

          Incorporating softly drawn and shaded pencil illustrations is an added feature.  The figures are authentically dressed and portrayed in Native American scenarios, such as riding bareback with a hand entwined in the horse’s mane or dancing a jig to a fiddler.  There is also an ever-present tiny chickadee on each chapter page.  

          Reading the Birchbark House series in conjunction with The Little House on the Prairie would give a young reader complementary insight into early American history from two distinct perspectives and two award-winning authors.

 

Review Excerpt(s)

Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction (2013)

2014 Boston-Globe Horn Book Award

2014-2015 Virginia Reader’s Award

 

“Based on Erdrich’s own family history, the mischievous celebration will move readers, and so will the anger and sadness. What is left unspoken is as powerful as the story told.” – BOOKLIST, starred review

“[A] lyrical narrative. Readers will want to follow this family for many seasons to come.” - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review

“A beautifully evolving story of an indigenous American family.” - KIRKUS REVIEWS, starred review

“Erdrich’s charming pencil drawings interspersed throughout and her glossary of Ojibwe terms round out a beautiful offering.” - SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL starred review

“Erdrich’s gifts are many, and she has given readers another tale full of rich details of 1850’s Ojibwe life, complicated supporting characters, and all the joys and challenges of a girl becoming a woman.” - HORN BOOK, starred review

“Why has no one written this story before?” - ALA BOOKLIST, boxed review

“The Birchbark House establishes its own ground, in the vicinity of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books.” - NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

 

Connections

·        Imagine Chicadee’s story if he had been named for different bird or animal, such as an eagle or a wolf.  How would the story change or stay the same?

·        Write about the first time you saw something or heard something unfamiliar.

·        Choose a partner and write a short skit as if you two were enjoying an experience together as Ojibwe children.  Speak 2 or 3 words in their language to each other during your skit.  Use the glossary and pronunciation guide from the back of our book.