Paiute Princess: The Story of Sarah Winnemucca

Written by Deborah Kogan Ray

Narrated by Christina Moore and Angela Lin

Deborah Kogan Ray has won widespread acclaim for her engaging picture-book biographies. Paiute Princess tells the story of Sarah Winnemucca, who was born into the Northern Paiute tribe of Nevada in 1844. Experiencing both the traditional life of her people and the modern ways of her grandfather's white friends, Sarah became a powerful leader who spoke out about the many injustices committed against her people.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9781470340124

Reviews for Paiute Princess

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Deborah Kogan Ray, whose many picture-book biographies include such titles as Wanda Gág: The Girl Who Lived to Draw, Dinosaur Mountain: Digging into the Jurassic Age and To Go Singing Through the World: The Childhood of Pablo Neruda, turns her attention, in this newest offering, to the story of Sarah Winnemucca, whose 1883 Life Among The Piutes: Their Wrongs And Claims was the first autobiography to be published by a Native American woman.** Winnemucca - or Thocmentony (meaning "Shell Flower") as she was known in her own language - witnessed incredible changes in her life, from her early childhood in her people's homeland in Nevada, before the coming of the white man (she was born around 1844); through her atypical education, learning to speak English, and to read and write, thanks to the far-sighted wisdom of her grandfather, Chief Truckee; to the eventual confinement of her people on a reservation, after a period of forced exile in Yakima, Washington. A dedicated activist for her people, Winnemucca gave hundreds of speeches on their behalf, worked as a translator and scout for the United States Army (sometimes to win concessions for her people), and founded a short-lived school for Paiute children, incorporating the kindergarten methods of one of her patrons, Elizabeth Peabody.Having read and enjoyed Winnemucca's autobiography, a number of years ago, when it was an assigned text in one of my college Women's Studies courses, I was very excited to discover that Deborah Kogan Ray planned to release a children's picture-book about her! The text-heavy narrative here is most informative, giving a full picture of Winnemucca's long, active life. I was particularly impressed that the less palatable aspects of the story - the almost constant record of wrongs done to the Paiute people, by white settlers - were not neglected or glossed over. I did wonder a bit at the title chosen - I understand that Winnemucca was sometimes billed to white audiences as "Princess Sarah," but since the Paiute had no tradition of royalty themselves, would have preferred something like "Mother Sarah" - the name by which she was known to her own people. Leaving that aside, this is an excellent work, which will serve to introduce young readers to a fascinating figure from American history - one that deserves to be better known!**The claim is sometimes made that Sarah Winnemucca was the first Native American woman author to be published, but I believe that that honor goes to Jane Johnston Schoolcraft (Bamewawagezhikaquay in Ojibwe), whose stories and poems began to appear in print in 1815.

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An informative introduction to this historical figure that makes good use of quotations from primary sources and some fine illustrations.

[epalaz_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a look at history of the Native Americans and the Europeans when they first encountered each other. This book tells of the shaping of the western part of the Americas and the part the Native Americans played in the development of the country. This book is a good read for chldren because it tells of the history in easy texts and is accompanied by illustrations that make the informationmore lively.

[mfeil_4 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is a very moving and important story. However, I would not read this story to students (or have students read this story) in one sitting, as it is very long and somewhat tedious. I would also like to find a way to get students more involved and connected with the story, as I would not want my students to miss the important historical events of this book.Age range: 8 - 11 Years