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    Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Ša, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist
    Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Ša, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist
    Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Ša, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist
    Ebook38 pages1 hour

    Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Ša, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist

    By Gina Capaldi and Q. L. Pearce

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    About this ebook

    "I remember the day I lost my spirit." So begins the story of Gertrude Simmons, also known as Zitkala-Ša, which means Red Bird. Born in 1876 on the Yankton Sioux reservation in South Dakota, Zitkala-Ša willingly left her home at age eight to go to a boarding school in Indiana. But she soon found herself caught between two worlds—white and Native American.

    At school she missed her mother and her traditional life, but Zitkala-Ša found joy in music classes. "My wounded spirit soared like a bird as I practiced the piano and violin," she wrote. Her talent grew, and when she graduated, she became a music teacher, composer, and performer.

    Zitkala-Ša found she could also "sing" to help her people by writing stories and giving speeches. As an adult, she worked as an activist for Native American rights, seeking to build a bridge between cultures.

    The coauthors tell Zitkala-Ša’s life by weaving together pieces from her own stories. The artist's acrylic illustrations and collages of photos and primary source documents round out the vivid portrait of Zitkala-Ša, a frightened child whose spirit "would rise again, stronger and wiser for the wounds it had suffered."

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLerner Publishing
    Release dateNov 1, 2013
    ISBN9781467738132
    Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Ša, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist
    Author

    Gina Capaldi

    As a freelance artist, Gina Capaldi has both written and illustrated books that range from nonfiction, educational, and picture books. Her favorite published works are her historical nonfiction, such as A Boy Named Beckoning: The True Story of Dr. Carlos Montezuma, Native American Hero. One of Gina's earlier books on American Indians has been recommended for elementary school social studies curriculum in the Virginia School systems. Gina Capaldi attended Malibu's Pepperdine University; Art Center & College of Design in Pasadena, California; and Pitzer College in Claremont, California.

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    • 4/5
      This book retells the life of Zitkala-Sa A.K.A. Gertrude Simmons. She was a Native American from South Dakota who left the reservation at 8-years-old to go to boarding school in Indiana. The book is based on her stories and her artwork. This is a lovely book that examines the challenges of balancing new and heritage cultures.
    • 5/5
      This was a touching story of a Sioux Indian girl who, in 1884, was sent away from her home to attend a missionaries's boarding school. The book describes her growth and development as one who could "sing" or speak for her people, and as a musician and author.
    • 3/5
      Good use of primary source material.
    • 4/5
      Nice biography of American Indian experience.
    • 4/5
      In this paraphrase of original texts by Red Bird, author Gina Capaldi retells the stories of this Native American girl who grew up between the world of her native people and the white people. “It was night when we reached the school grounds and were led toward an open door. The noisy hurrying of hard shoes upon a bare wooden floor whirring in my ears frightened me, and I began to cry. The Angos could not understand the cause of my tears and placed me at a table loaded with food. Because of my sobs, I could swallow very little that evening. I was tucked into bed with one of the tall girls. She talked to me in my mother’s tongue and soothed me. Many events would follow, which would force me to be brave in a cold, unknown world.”

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    Red Bird Sings - Gina Capaldi

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