Jingle Dancer

1. Citation: Smith, Cynthia Leitich. 2000. Jingle dancer. New York, NY: Morrow Junior Books.
2. Plot Summary: Jenna wants to dance in the upcoming powwow but, without her jingles its just not the same. She reaches out to her community and in traditions manner of American Indians the community and friends help her achieve her dream.
3. Critical Analysis: Jingle Dancer is a story of community and family relationships and the closeness they share. Jenna, the main character has a problem, no jingle for her dancing dress. Her community being American Indians knows the importance of the powwow. I believe that Smith did a good job incorporating the values and traditions of Native Americans. In a modern day setting in which non Native American children can relate. Jenna lives in a regular home with all the amenities of modern life as noted in the beautiful watercolor illustrations. Yet, she is still very connected to her cultural heritage. Too often in multicultural literature the theme of that particular culture drowns out any connection a young reader might have, therefore leaving the book undesirable to them. The characters that Smith place within the story are sharing and well rounded. I particularly was affected by her big cousin who is an attorney. This showed in an overt way the possible successes of Native American women. And in the same note, the story portrays a strong community of women bound together not only culturally, but by experiences. Smith did an excellent job in relaying this message to the reader. "Again and again, Jenna watched a videotape of Grandma Wolfe jingle dancing," the fact that Grandma was even videotaped is a little on the iffy side as far as authenticity goes. Although not all Native Americans adhere to the same belief system, it is rare to hear about being photographed yet alone videotaped. Beyond that this was an excellent book that says a lot of community and relationships in a short amount of time.

4. Accessed Reviews: Horn Book (Fall 2000) Jenna, who lives in a suburban Oklahoma neighborhood, is of Muscogee and Ojibway descent. She borrows jingles--metal cones--from four important women in her life, so that her jingle dress will have its own voice for her first powwow dance. Dance regalia and modern-day life are ably depicted in fluid watercolors. The text's folkloric style is sometimes at odds with the contemporary story. Booklist (Vol. 96, No. 18 (May 15, 2000) This contemporary Native American tale highlights the importance of family and community through a young girl's dream of joining the dancers at the next powwow. Jenna is a girl of Muscogee (Creek) and Ojibway (Chippewa/Anishinabe) descent. She has practiced the steps for the jingle dance by following her grandmother's moves on a video. Now she must get enough jingles (traditionally made of tin, aluminum, or gold canning lids rolled into cones) to sew on her dress to make a satisfying "tink, tink" as she dances.

5. Connections: Smith, Cynthia Leitich. Indian Shoes. ISBN: 0-0602-9531-7

   Harjo, Joy. Good Luck Cat. ISBN: 0-1525-2197-7

   Bruchac, Joseph. Crazy Horse's Vision. ISBN: 1-8800-0094-6