A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Tingle, Tim. 2006. CROSSING BOK CHITTO: A CHOCTAW TALE OF FRIENDSHIP & FREEDOM. Ill. by Jeanne Rorex Bridges. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press. ISBN 978-0-329-70170-3.
B. PLOT SUMMARY
In the days when one side of the river meant freedom, and the other meant slavery, a friendship was formed between a Choctaw girl named Martha Tom and an enslaved boy named Little Mo. Crossing Bok Chitto was dangerous for Martha Tom, when she went searching for berries, but it became life or death for Little Mo and his family, when they went searching for freedom.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
I love this book! The illustrations are enchanting, and the story is uplifting. Tim Tingle tells a powerful story of friendship and freedom, and then he gives great contextual information afterward on the Choctaw nation and Choctaw storytelling. Tingle says, “We Choctaws live by our stories.”
This story highlights the kindness and bravery of the Choctaw. The girl and her mother show great kindness to their “neighbors” of a different culture. It also shows the cleverness of the tribe, both in the way the tribe built up stones in the river to create a safe path and in the way they help save the slave family. At the end, Tingle quotes an elder that says people within the Mississippi Choctaw band did help slaves escape to freedom.
There are markers in this story for both the Choctaw culture and the African American culture.
The power and unity in family is present for both. The strong familial ties extend beyond the nuclear family for both cultures, and into their communities. It was the help of the community that got Little Mo and his family across the river during their escape.
Another strong element of culture- music- tied the two communities together. Martha Tom heard the captivating and unifying songs of the slave church, and she made them her own by singing them in Choctaw. Music can be a beacon of hope, as well as a strong bond between people.
D. AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPTS
ALA Notable Children's Books, 2007
American Indian Youth Literature Award, 2008
Booklist starred, April 2006: “In a picture book that highlights rarely discussed intersections between Native Americans in the South and African Americans in bondage, a noted Choctaw storyteller and Cherokee artist join forces with stirring results.”
Library Media Connection, November 2006: “ Through the poetic cadence of oral storytelling and a quiet, yet penetrating voice, Tingle brings this early American tale to print as a strong read- aloud for young or middle level students or for a great quick read for older readers. The language is vividly brought to life through rich earthen-toned illustrations by Jeanne Rorex Bridges.”
Publishers Weekly starred, March 2006
School Library Journal, July 2006: “Tingle is a performing storyteller, and his text has the rhythm and grace of that oral tradition.”
E. CONNECTIONS
This beautiful picture book could be one of several that are used for “read alouds” any time of the year, and especially for Native American Heritage Month. Other similar picture books are Powwow Day by Traci Sorell, Keepunumuk : Weeachumun's Thanksgiving story by Danielle Greendeer, and Fry Break: a Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard.
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