History for Kids: The Illustrated Life of Sitting Bull

By: Charles River Editors

Narrated by: Tracey Norman

Length: 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Perfect for ages 7-9.

Includes oral legends about Sitting Bull and the Sioux.

Explains the Battle of the Little Bighorn and George Custer.

"When I was a boy, the Sioux owned the world. The sun rose and set on their land; they sent 10,000 men to battle. Where are the warriors today? Who slew them? Where are our lands? Who owns them? Is it wrong for me to love my own? Is it wicked for me because my skin is red? Because I am Sioux? Because I was born where my father lived? Because I would die for my people and my country?" - Sitting Bull

In Charles River Editors' History for Kids series, your children can learn about history's most important people and events in an easy, entertaining, and educational way. This concise, but comprehensive audiobook, will keep your kid's attention all the way to the end.

In 1872, during a fight along the Yellowstone River between U.S. troops protecting railroad workers and Sioux warriors, one of the Sioux did something both unusual and inspiring. At the height of the battle, with bullets whizzing all around him, this warrior sat down, loaded his cannupa (sacred pipe), and began to smoke, partaking in his people's religious sacrament. For the Sioux, smoking a pipe was akin to praying, and the smoke, wafting up through to the heavens, represented those prayers as they floated up to Wakan Tanka, the "god" of the Native Americans who occupied the North American Plains. Wakan Tanka is not the name of their god, but rather a description, for the words literally mean Great Mystery. The Sioux warrior continued smoking until done with his pipe, and after carefully reaming and cleaning out the pipe, he rose to his feet, and rejoined the battle.

Of course, it was not that battle which made Sitting Bull one of the most famous Native Americans in American history. When The Great Sioux War of 1876 began, Sitting Bull was recognized as the most important leader among all Native American tribes on the Plains, and the one to turn to for those who intended to keep fighting whites.

When he finally surrendered to the US in 1881, he was a celebrity of sorts, and Sitting Bull went on to appear in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show during the decade. Not surprisingly, his death was as controversial as his life - in 1890 Sitting Bull was killed on a reservation after plans to arrest him went terribly awry, leading to fighting in the aftermath that left over a dozen dead.

History for Kids: The Illustrated Life of Sitting Bull chronicles the amazing life of the Sioux leader who defiantly fought to save his people's homeland, but it also humanizes the man who became one of the most famous Native Americans in American history. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, your kids will learn about Sitting Bull like never before.

©2013 Charles River Editors (P)2017 Charles River Editors