THE DAY THE EARTH ROSE UP

Author/illustrator Beartrack-Algeo (Lower Brule Lakota Nation) creates a mystical world where giant bears roam and girls fly on the back of a giant eagle to become stars.

This retelling of the story of Pleiades, the Seven Sisters star formation, begins with seven Lakota sisters entering the forest to seek out the last of the season’s chokeberries. The eldest sister, Maske, loves to entertain her younger sisters with stories of Mahpiya, the Sky World: “a magical place where stars scattered as far as the eye could see.” Their mother has warned them not to go deep into the forest for berries, but the sisters eat all the berries from the nearby bushes. Maske leads her sisters farther and farther away, telling them stories all the while. They fill their baskets and turn for home, but an enormous bear appears and chases them. Terrified, they run for their lives. When they reach a ledge, they kneel, and Maske prays to the Great Spirit to save them. The ground trembles and rises high in the sky, and Wanbli Tanka, a huge sacred eagle, comes to save them. He flies the sisters to “the land of Wicahpi,” or Star Nation, from which they watch over their people. Rich oil paintings accompany the lyrical telling. An opening glossary defines Lakota terms; these definitions are repeated in parentheses within the narrative—a mildly disruptive feature.

Lovingly depicts the sacred relationship between Lakota people and their homeland.