Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Cornelius Van Wright, and Ying-Hwa Hu

Image retrieved from www.amazon.com

1. Bibliography

Smith, Cynthia L, Wright, Cornelius V., and Ying-Hwa Hu. Jingle Dancer. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 2000. ISBN 0688162428

2. Plot Summary

Jenna is of Ojibway descent and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She daydreams about the “tink, tink, tink, tink” of her grandma’s jingle dancing - her favorite Native American tradition. She wants more than anything to jingle dance at the next powwow, but her dress “would not be able to sing. It needed four rows of jingles.” Jenna visits her Great-aunt, Sis, Mrs. Scott, and her cousin Elizabeth to borrow rows of jingles from them. After she borrows her fourth row from her grandma, she helps her grandma sew on all the jingles and practices her bounce-steps for powwow. At powwow, Jenna’s dress sings away as she jingle dances for everyone she borrowed jingles from.

3. Critical Analysis

Jingle Dancer is a simple story with a powerful message about Native American tradition and family. The story of Jenna and her gathering of jingles for her dress is simple in itself, but inherent in this story is the strong bond of her Native American family and their tradition of jingle dancing. When Jenna needs more rows for her dress, the first person she visits is her Great-aunt Sis. She has an obviously close bond with her great aunt, who lovingly gives a row of jingles to Jenna. Next, Jenna visits Mrs. Scott, who is not a family member, but part of her Native American community. Because of their tight-knit community Jenna’s bond with Mrs. Scott seems strong. Finally, Jenna visits her cousin Elizabeth and borrows a row of jingles from her as well.

The closest character to Jenna in this story is her grandmother. Jenna admires her grandmother, and especially her grandmother’s jingle dancing. It is her grandmother who gives Jenna her fourth row of jingles and spends each evening sewing them onto her dress. The elderly character of her grandmother who is carrying on the jingle dancing tradition points to the strength of tradition and family.

The number four is significant in this story. Jenna needs to have at least four rows of jingles for her dress to be able to sing. Four is a sacred number to Native Americans, as it represents the four seasons, the four moon stages, the four life stages, etc. Four jingles will bring her dress to life and make it sing. Nature is also a focus in this story. Native Americans have a great respect for nature and believe it is sacred. It is a strong part of their lives - their history, traditions, religion, and language. Throughout this book, Nature guides Jenna’s day. Smith includes phrases such as “As Moon kissed Sun good night,” “As Sun fetched morning, “As Sun arrived at midcircle,” “As Sun caught a glimpse of Moon,” and “As Moon glowed pale.” Not only is this a beautiful way to describe the time of day, but it places the emphasis on nature instead of time.

The “Author’s Note” on the last page of this story gives authenticity to Jenna’s story. Smith uses this note to talk about jingle dancing and its place in Native American history and tradition. She explains more about jingle dresses - what they look like and how they are made. She even explains that a new jingle dancer is a cause for great joy for a family. This makes Jenna’s character even more authentic since it was her first time to jingle dance.

Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu use watercolor illustrations to depict Jenna and her family as Native Americans of today. Their skin color and hair color are typical of Native Americans, and they live in modern houses in a suburban neighborhood. They cook in modern kitchens and wear typical American dress on an average day. However, at powwow, their illustrations show traditional dress - Jenna in her dance regalia, with others in traditional dress in the background. These watercolor illustrations are beautiful and bring Jenna and her family to life for the reader.

4. Review Excerpts

From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (July 1, 2000): "This picture book will not only satisfy a need for materials on Native American customs, but will also be a welcome addition to stories about traditions passed down by the women of a culture."

From BOOKLIST  (May 15, 2000): "The colorful, well-executed watercolor illustrations lend warmth to the story."

5. Connections

Gather other books written by Cynthia Leitich Smith such as:

• Indian Shoes. ISBN 978-0060295318
• Rain is Not My Indian Name. ISBN 978-0688173975

Visit Cynthia Leitich Smith’s website here for a curriculum guide for Jingle Dancer, including supplemental questions and links containing more information about Native American culture.