FOX SONG by Joseph Bruchac

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bruchac, Joseph. 1993. FOX SONG. Putnam Juvenile. New York
ISBN-10: 0698115619 ISBN-13: 978-0698115613

SUMMARY

Grama Bowman was over ninety and Jamie's great grandma. They were very close and it has been hard for Jamie since Grama Bowman died. They had all lived together for the last six years by the Winooski River. It was the family way to take care of each other. Jamie and her Grama are Abenaki. Jamie's father was French but Grama had said they were good people and "quick to learn, and we were ready to teach them. I think that is why we kept on marrying them all these years." Grama had taught Jamie to pick wild berries and to make birch bark baskets. Grama Bowman had made Jamie laugh. They would walk into the woods and sip maple sap from the bucket. While in the woods, Grama tells Jamie, "when you are out here and I am not with you, you keep your eyes open. You might see her (the fox) and when you do, you will think of me." When Jamie walks in the woods now, she feels her Grama beside her. Grama had talked of the leaves and how they liked to dance. The leaves reminded Grama of her old people and made her remember that they are still with her. She taught Jamie a special song that would help Jamie if she was feeling alone. Grama had prepared Jamie, "when you are in the woods alone and you see the fox think of me." After Grama died, Jamie went to walk in the woods, she sang the special song that she had had been given by Grama Bowman. As Jamie sang she saw the fox, sitting and listening to her song. Jamie knew that she would never be alone.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Fox Song is based on a special relationship that Bruchac had with an old friend. The friend had given him a gift of a song. A song given as a gift by the Abenaki is kept close and personal. When Bruchac saw a fox in the woods he sang the song in memory of his friend. Bruchac uses Abenaki language in his story. Wokwes for the fox, Kokohas for the old owl, Madegwas for rabbit and alniminal for the wild berries. Ways of life significant to the Abenaki are shared in the story. Badogi is the mark of thunder. Grama gives a gift of tobacco to the Maskwa blanket tree. She shows Jamie how to strip the bark to the left, the way the sun moves around the tree. It is important to only take what they need so the tree won't die. The Abenaki believe that lightening doesn't strike a Birch tree and that it is a safe place in a storm.
The birch basket that is pictued in the illustrations is an accurate representation of an Abenaki birch basket. The illustrations are warm and show moments of happiness. The dark hair and golden skin reflect Jamie's native American heritage. The few items of Abenaki art are set in a modern day home. The clothing worn by Jamie and her Grama are typical of current styles worn by all people today. Nature is depicted in an inviting way with sunshine and color. The paintings by Paul Morin are attractive and full of life and soul. The book Fox Song expresses the author's empathy with the loss of a loved one.
Fox Song is recommended for ages 4-8 but an enjoyable story for all ages.

REVIEWS

Publishers Weekly In this tale of the sweet and vital bond between Native American great-grandparents and children, Bruchac, a well-known storyteller with Abenaki roots, offers a glimpse into traditional ways through the experience of Jamie, an Abenaki girl who lives near Vermont's Winooski river. One morning, Jamie resists waking and clings to fitful dreams in which she is reunited with her dead great-grandmother. Bruchac's clever device unifies various memories of Grama Bowman: she has taught Jamie to collect berries and to care for the patch ("burn off the dead bushes each year so that new ones will be green"), to peel bark from birch trees to fashion baskets, to follow wildlife signs in the winter woods, to sip maple sap. Primary to this story is the poignancy of lessons whose meanings ripen only with time. The aging woman lovingly and unobtrusively prepares her great-granddaughter for their inevitable separation, telling Jamie that when she sees the fox she will think of Grama Bowman. A delicate secondary theme is the unusual parental sympathy for Jamie's lazy morning--her mother and father understand the healing power of dreams. Through an appropriately autumnal palette, Morin's oil paintings on canvas echo the texture of Abenaki artifacts: birch bark and sticks, leather, carved bone, drying leaves. Ages 4-up. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-Jamie, grieving over the death of her great-grandmother, remembers and describes some of the special times they shared. Grama Bowman, an Abenaki, told her stories and taught her about "'our old Indian way.'" Memories of gathering berries, birch bark for baskets, or sap for maple sugar, activities that brought them together and close to nature are related. She recalls seeing the tracks of a fox and her grama telling her, "'When you are out here and I am not with you, you keep your eyes open. You might see her and when you do, you will think of me.'" The elderly woman's wise words and an Abenaki song of greeting help the girl cope with her loss. When Jamie sings the song in the woods, she sees a fox and knows that she will "...never be alone." Morin's oil paintings are both realistic and textured. The characters' faces are depicted lovingly but without idealism. The palette is rich and warm, in mostly autumnal tones, but with spring and winter accents. Strong artwork and multiple themes compensate for the rather pat ending.Patricia Dooley, formerly at University of Washington, SeattleCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

CONNECTIONS

Crazy Horse's Vision (Paperback) by Joseph Bruchac (Narrator), S. D. Nelson (Illustrator), Curtis Zunigha. Live Oak Media; Pap/Cas edition (January 30, 2007) ISBN-10: 1591124514 ISBN-13: 978-1591124511

* Ask the children if they have ever seen a fox. Let them share stories of special times with their grandparents.

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