Crazy Horse's Vision
By Joseph Bruchac
Illustrated by S. D. Nelson
Crazy Horse is among the best known Native American heroes. Yet many people do not know his boyhood name was Curly, inspired by his curly hair.
Curly was a leader even as a young boy, taming wild horses and hunting powerful buffalo. But all his bravery could not prepare him for the trouble he and the other Lakota Indians would face with the white settlers. Wanting to help his people after a fierce battle that mortally wounded Chief Conquering Bear, Curly defied traditional custom and risked his own life by running away, up to the hills, to seek a vision.
Renowned Abenaki author Joseph Bruchac tells a gripping and compelling story of how the dedicated young boy, Curly, grows into the brave warrior Crazy Horse. Sioux artist S.D. Nelson, with paintings inspired by the ledger book style of the Plains Indians, evokes the drama and tragedy of an important figure in American history.
For more ideas and lesson plans on teaching Lakota history and culture, check out the Lakota Winter Counts online exhibit and teachers’ guide by Anh-Thu Cunnion, created by the National Anthropological Archives of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
About the Creators
is an Abenaki Indian. He is among the most respected and widely published Native American authors, with over 100 titles in print, including the popular Keepers of the Earth series and Lee & Low's Crazy Horse's Vision, which received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. His YA novel, Wolf Mark, is a Westchester Young Adult Fiction Award winner. A Rockefeller Fellow and an NEA Poetry Writing Fellow, he was the 1999 recipient of the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to writing, Bruchac is an editor at Greenfield Review Press, a literary publishing house he co-founded with his wife. He lives in Greenfield Center, New York. To find out more about Joseph Bruchac, visit josephbruchac.com
collaborated with Joseph Bruchac as illustrator of Crazy Horse's Vision and Jim Thorpe's Bright Path. He is also the author and illustrator of two picture book stories inspired by the traditions of his Lakota heritage — Gift Horse, winner of the Parents' Choice Award, and The Star People, an Oppenheim Gold Award winner. Nelson's lifelong interest in Ira Hayes inspired him to tell the story of this American hero for children in Quiet Hero: The Ira Hayes Story. A former middle school art teacher, Nelson is now a full-time artist. He is of Lakota (Sioux) descent and lives with his wife in Chandler, Arizona. Visit him online at sdnelson.net.
About This Title
International Reading Association (IRA)
Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Interest Level:Grades 1 - 5
Reading Level:Grades 3 - 3
Nonfiction, War, United States History, Responsibility, Native American Interest, Heroism, Biography/Memoir, Earth/Sun/Moon System, Empathy/Compassion, Gratitude, Integrity/Honesty , Leadership, Courage
Fluent Dual Language Spanish/English Collection, Fluent English Collection, Biography and Memoir Grades 3-6, Appendix B Diverse Collection Grades PreK-2, English Nonfiction Grades 3-6, English Guided Reading Level P, Native American English Collection, Native American English Collection Grades 3-6, Nonfiction Collection Grades 3-6