Encounter (Voyager books)

As part of our third grade curriculum I find this book is useful for students to understand the impact the European explorers had on the Native Americans. It leads to interesting discussions and opens up the minds of young people to imagine what it must have been like to see these strange Europeans on their land.

Encounter is a book for young children, usually for a story-telling time. When I was reading the book, I thought the story was highly conceptual. Having written that, it is usually a good idea that the storyteller to explain the details in more informative way. That way, the kids won't be frustrated with the vagueness of it. I warn you, the story of Encounter will lead to a depressing ending, so I am kind of unsure if the book is a good idea for kids to be exposed to the story. It is not depressing in a terrible way but rather in an enlightening way because the story is true and it did happen. The book is quite aimed at defiling the accomplishments of Columbus and his counterparts for creating New World. So, take care of how you want to teach the kids from the book and make it a worthwhile experience. The pictures of Encounter are above average and somewhat drab. There are a few choice words (i.e., zemis) that are not directly explained but rather illustrated in the pictures (and you need to make an effort to look for them). All in all, Encounter could be used for children but wisely.

For the first few years in school, children learn about Columbus the hero. You get the ships and the voyage and the alleged discovery. When I taught third grade I would read this book around Columbus day and it was shock and awe with the kids. The thought that Columbus might not have been such a hero created dead silence around my room. Some felt duped by their second and first grade teachers. A conversation really begins to take hold about information and where it comes from and what you should or should not just assume to be true. It is higher level thinking at its best. After reading this book and having the discussions that followed, many of my students began asking many more questions about the other side of every argument. What a valuable lesson! For many of my students it was a brave new world.

Chris Bowen
Author of, Our Kids: Building Relationships in the Classroom

Encounter by Jane Yolen takes place in the past. A boy had a bad dream about three great winged birds then he walked to the beach, he saw his dream birds. When the strangers arrived the little boy said" Do not welcome them." To see if the strangers were true men the boy pinched there hands one by one when they built a "feasting fire." The chief taught them how to smoke. When the boy ran to his zemis he fed pieces from the feast and prayed "let the pale strangers from the sky go away from us." When he got back to the feast, one of the strangers let him touch there sword. When he touched it he started to bleed. So when the strangers went on their boats they took people and parrot the boy jumped out and swam to land. When he got to land no one would listen to him because he was a child.

You should listen to whatever anyone has to say. The boy's bad dream was a warning. The boy said "Do not welcome them" Do not call them friends" then they have already welcomed them. The chief didn't listen to him because he was a child. The boy said "Do not welcome them" three times and "Do not call them friends" once. I recommend this book to anyone who feels just because they're a child nobody listens to them.

By Jesus

This children's book offers several very clear lessons:

1. When you see people with a different skin color, especially people that dress and speak differently, it's OK to mock and ridicule them, because they're not quite human and probably won't understand anyway. It's like making fun of a dog. If you see someone with lighter skin than your own, check to see if they have a tail.

2. It's not enough to make fun of those that are different, however. It is extremely important to drive the sub-humans away by whatever means necessary. Treating them as true humans will only lead you to become less than "truly human" yourself.

3. You should judge people by their skin color, not by their actions. Focus purely on their skin color, language and how they dress, plus any dreams you may have had about them.

Let me be clear - I agree that what was done to native Americans was wrong. If this book taught about that, I would gladly buy it for my children. But this book does NOT argue that the white-skinned sub-humans should have been judged by their actions, or that all people have basic, fundamental rights that should be respected.

The boy in the story is condemning the Spanish based purely on the fact that their skin, clothing and language are different, and argues that they should be driven away for that reason alone (well, plus the boy had a bad dream!). As an old man, he says that his own people are no longer 'true humans', not because of slavery but because they have begun to speak and dress like the sub-humans. People should be judged by their appearance, and those that are different should be exiled to prevent contamination.

The book is beautifully illustrated and written in a way that will be attractive to children. If you're trying to teach your children to be more racist, this book will be a useful and effective tool.