Sees Behind Trees
By Michael Dorris
cover image retrieved October 30, 2012 from
Bibliography:
Dorris, Michael. Sees Behind Trees. New York: Hyperion Books
for Children, 1996. ISBN-13: 9780780777392
Summary:
Walnut is a young Native American boy excited, but nervous,
about going through the rites to become a warrior. Part of his training
requires him to shoot his bow and arrow at a target, hitting the bulls-eye.
Walnut’s family realizes that he is continually missing the target due to poor
vision. He is devastated, becoming melancholy and uncertain of his future. His
family and friends help him to rely on his senses, and the things he does well,
to compensate and be a contributing member of his tribe.
Critical Analysis:
Cultural authenticity is rich in the tale of a young Native
American who has very limited vision, but an astute sense of observation with
is other senses. Character names have cultural accuracy, according to Native
legend. The youngsters are dubbed with a playful name, such as Walnut, Frog, or
Sleeps Late. Once they have passed a test set forth by the tribe weroance, they
are officially considered men and given grown-up names, like Brings the Deer,
Gray Fire, or our title character, Sees Behind Trees.
Foods, customs, names, and the way of life described
throughout the novel are culturally authentic, the result of much research on
the author’s part. Traditions, such as the mother teaching the young boy to
shoot a boy and arrow and hit a moving target, reflect the ways of the Native
Americans, where the women assumed such roles while the men hunted. It was the
custom of the tribe in this novel for boys to accomplish certain tasks before
they were considered young men. Walnut was unable to accomplish the task, which
his family realizes is due to his poor vision. There is no way of knowing if
tribes would actually adjust the requirements if a boy was unable to perform
the stated task, as happened in this novel. The story is told with sensitivity
and relevance, leading the reader to believe that it would be a reasonable act
on the part of the tribal leaders.
The second half of this novel centers around an expedition
Sees Behind Trees goes on, accompanying a respected elder, Gray Fire. At times
mystical and unrealistic, the expedition is important to Sees Behind Trees as
he becomes a man, but conflicting with the authenticity of the rest of the
book. The title character’s transition into manhood could have been achieved
without this mystical twist, so one wonders why it is included in an otherwise
good book that treats the customs of Native Americans with respect and dignity.
The book is worth reading, with the disclaimer that cultural authenticity is
slightly discounted by an unneeded mystical episode.
Reviews:
Publishers Weekly
The authenticity of the characterizations and setting will
ease readers toward acceptance of the quasi-mystical adventure that crowns the
story. It's a thrilling read, with the pleasures compounding at every turn of
the page.
School Library Journal Luann Toth
This compelling coming-of-age story set in pre-Columbian
America is rich in imagery and chock-full of wisdom. There is a timeless quality to this
15th-century adventure that will be meaningful and immediate for young people
today. Dorris takes on some meaty existential issues here; he does so with
grace, bighearted empathy, and always with crystal-clear vision.
The New York Times Book Review, Nancy Cardozo
In Michael Dorris's novel Sees Behind Trees, the author, who writes for both children and
adults, doesn't mess with the current fashion for accounts of angst. [A] fine example of a rite-of-passage
novel that can be read as metaphor or message.
Awards/Best Book Lists:
Minnesota Book Awards, 1997 Winner Young Adult Fiction
United States
Adventuring with Books: A Booklist for Pre-K-Grade 6, 12th
Edition, 1999 ; National Council of Teachers
of English; United States
Best Children's Books of the Year, 1996 ; Bank Street
College of Education; United States
Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 1996 ; American
Library Association; United States
Books for You: An Annotated Booklist for Senior High,
Thirteenth Edition, 1997 ; National Council of
Teachers of English; United States
Capitol Choices, 1996 ; The Capitol Choices Committee;
United States
Children's Books, 1996 ; New York Public Library; United
States
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, 2001 ; H.W. Wilson;
United States
Children's Literature Choice List, 1997 ; Children's
Literature; United States
Instructor (Intermediate), 1996 ; Instructor (Intermediate);
United States
Kirkus Book Review Stars, 1996 ; United States
Lasting Connections, 1996 ; American Library Association;
United States
Lasting Connections, 1996 ; Book Links; United States
Middle And Junior High School Library Catalog, Eighth
Edition, 2000 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books, 1996 ; Cahners;
United States
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, October 1996 ; Cahners;
United States
School Library Journal Best Books, 1997 ; Cahners; United
States
School Library Journal Book Review Stars, October 1996 ;
Cahners; United States
Teachers' Choices, 1997 ; International Reading Association;
United States
Connections:
Reading/Writing:
·
Students will consider how their own life would
be different with one of their senses greatly diminished. Students will
consider a common daily activity, such as going to the school cafeteria for
lunch. Students will create a five-frame storyboard showing how that experience
would be different without each of the senses.
·
Gray Fire searches for a place he remembers from
many years ago. He describes it in great detail to Sees Behind Trees. Students
will think of a place they visited in the past (not recently) and write a
descriptive paragraph or narrative paper relating details to describe it
completely.
Science:
·
Sees Behind Trees uses moss on trees to help
guide his way back home, after Gray Fire disappears. Students will research how
moss on trees, shadows, and other nature clues are used to mark directions in
the wild. Students will each create a poster showing nature clues and how they
can be used for guidance and survival.
Art:
·
Gray Fire describes in great detail the land of
water he remembers from his youth. Sees Behind Trees adds to the descriptive
detail when he finds the land. Students will create an original work of art
inspired by these descriptions. Students will write a caption for the illustration,
using descriptive language and imagery to create a “word picture.”
Other books by Michael
Dorris:
Native Americans Five Hundred Years After (with photographer
Joseph Farber, 1975)
A Guide to Research on North American Indians (with Mary
Byler and Arlene Hirschfelder, 1983)
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water (1987)
The Broken Cord: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and the Loss of the
Future (1989)
The Crown of Columbus (with Louise Erdrich, 1991)
Route Two and Back (with Louise Erdrich, 1991)
Morning Girl (1992)
Working Men (1993)
Rooms in the House of Stone (1993)
Paper Trail (essays, 1994)
Guests (1995)
Sees Behind Trees (1996)
Cloud Chamber (1997)
The Window (1997)
(Editor) The Most Wonderful Books: Writers on Discovering
the Pleasures of Reading (1997)
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