A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Tingle, Tim. CROSSING BOK CHITTO A CHOCTAW TALE OF FRIENDSHIP. ill. Jeanne Rorex Bridges. 2006. El Paso, Texas: Cinco Puntos Press. ISBN 0938317776
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Set in the 1800's in Mississippi, Crossing Bok Chitto is the story of two young friends, one a Choctaw and the other an African American slave. The river Bok Chitto separated the land between the Choctaw Native Americans and the plantation/slave owners. A young Choctaw girl, Martha Tom, is sent to pick blackberries for a wedding ceremony. She doesn't find any on her side so she does what she's not supposed to and crosses the river. She hears preaching and voices and investigates. However, she loses her way from the river and needs the assistance of Little Mo to return to her side of the river. Thus begins a long-time friendship. When they are older, Martha Tom returns the kindness by helping Little Mo's family cross Bok Chitto to safety and freedom.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Filled with multicultural markers, author Tim Tingle hits a homerun in his attempt at writing an authentic, truly multicultural book. From the very first page, the reader knows who the story is about and that it believable. The main character, Martha Tom, is told by her mother, "...the sun has been up for two hours," - looking to nature for the time. As the story progresses, Martha Tom is lost in the woods and hears hundreds of slaves in a secret gathering singing "We are bound for the Promised Land!" At another point, Martha Tom and her friend Little Mo, hear the sounds of the wedding song being chanted by Martha Tom's people,
"Way, hey ya he ya Way, hey ya hey ya
You a hey you ay You a hey you ay
A hey ya a hey ya! A hey ya a hey ya!"
This song is still chanted by the Choctaw in Mississippi and Oklahoma even today. As the men chant the song, the women, dressed in all white, would stomp and dance to the rhythm.
Illustrator Bridges does a great job with her pictures of both the landscape and the characters. The Choctaw are depicted as having medium brown-colored skin with dark eyes and straight, dark hair. The Native Americans has high cheekbones and very chiseled, strong chins and faces.They also wear shoes that look similar to mocassins. The African Americans are depicted with very dark skin, curlydark hair and typical clothing for that time period. The slave owners are shown as white with various hair colorings, typical but better made period clothing as well as guns, dogs and a large home.
After the story there is a three-page section with two articles about the modern Choctaw and Choctaw Storytelling. These articles are insightful and informative.
The illustrations by award-winning artist (and Cherokee descendant) Jeanne Rorex Bridges do just as fabulous a job in creating a setting and mood with her pictures as Tingle does with his words.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal: "Dramatic, quiet, and warming, this is a story of friendship across cultures .... Tingle is a performing storyteller, and his text has the rhythm and grace of that oral tradition. It will be easily and effectively read aloud. The paintings are dark and solemn, and the artist has done a wonderful job of depicting all of the characters as individuals, with many of them looking out of the page right at readers. The layout is well designed for groups as the images are large and easily seen from a distance. There is a note on modern Choctaw culture, and one on the development of this particular work. This is a lovely story, beautifully illustrated..."
Booklist: In a picture book that highlights rarely discussed intersections between Native Americans in the South and African Americans in bondage, a noted Choctaw storyteller and Cherokee artist join forces with stirring results."
E. CONNECTIONS
This story is perfect as a read aloud and as the children listen, let them draw what they hear and imagine.
Readers can also visit http://www.choctawstoryteller.com/ for more information on the author, Choctaw and storytelling.
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