The Buffalo was a way of life for the Indians of the Great Plains. It provided the tribes with food, fuel, and clothing - all their basic needs. The first Americans celebrated the buffalo's sacred spirit with ceremonies, prayers, and songs. The buffalo taught that all living things, including humans, are equal in the natural world.
The American Indian is of the soil, whether it be the region of forests, plains, pueblos, or mesas. He fits into the landscape, for the hand that fashioned the continent also fashioned the man for his surroundings. He once grew as naturally as the wild sunflowers; he belongs just as the buffalo belonged...
- Oglala Sioux chief
Beverly Brodsky's watercolors and oil paintings accompany tribal song-poems woven into a narrative history about the buffalo's essential and sacred role on the Plains. Her book is a powerful tribute to a majestic animal, tracing the history of the buffalo from the beginning of time to present day.
Beverly Brodsky's magnificent paintings and text in Buffalo have also received many awards, including:
Beverly received a Caldecott Honour for her earlier work, the Golem.
"A stunning, sophisticated collection of art works and collected Native American song-poems. . . Beverly Brodsky's oil and water color paintings evoke the mystery and majesty of the revered buffalo, holy to many First Americans."
— Midwest Book Review
"Brodsky has made a magnificent re-entry into the world of picture books with this historical look at the plight of the buffalo as related to the Native American experience. Museum-quality watercolors and oil paintings are breathtakingly stunning. Particularly dramatic is "Countless Millions," a watercolor spanning two pages—a dramatic depiction of the millions of buffalo that were hunted to near extinction. The author's first-rate text simultaneously relates the history of the demise of the western buffalo herds, presents tribal song-poems, and factual notes about the use of the song-poems and their relationships to the history of the buffalo and Native American customs. With this multi-layered perspective of the buffalo Brodsky has managed to create an exceptional work that is both informational and aesthetically grand—a must purchase for all libraries."
— Kirkus Reviews
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