Book Review by Katy Spangler

The Red Cedar of Afognak: a Driftwood Journey
by Alisha S. Drabek and Karen R. Adams. Illustrated by Gloria N. Selby. Native Village of Afognak, 2004.
28 pp. Ages 8-14

The Red Cedar of Afognak is an informational picture book. A short story ties together a wealth of information about Afognak Village, its people and natural history. The story centers on a huge log that two little boys found in the forest near their village. Their apaa tells the story of the log, weaving in knowledge about the tides, the natural vegetation, and the history of Afognak's people. A full color watercolor painting fills each right hand page, while the text and other "information bites" cover the left hand pages. Schematic drawings, maps, a tide table and Alutiq words are found on each two page spread. The log is red cedar, a tree that doesn't grow on Afognak or Kodiak Island. It is as big across as a boy is tall, and must have arrived inland on Afognak on a tidal wave many years ago. As Apaa recounts what happened to he and his family in 1964 when a huge tidal wave swept over Afognak Village, he reminds his grandchildren that the Alutiq people have survived many disasters and yet remain strong people.

Is the story free of negative stereotypes, false language, comic or crass illustrations and other demeaning stereotypes?
Yes. The people in the story, apaa and two boys, speak natural English sprinkled liberally with Alutiq words, which are defined nearby. The illustrations are somewhat primitive. A beautiful full-page portrait of apaa, who is a recently deceased Afognak elder, is the best illustration.

Does the story help the reader develop understanding about the human condition? Is it good literature?
While the book was modeled after a classic children's picture book Paddle to the Sea, this book is not really good literature. It is somewhat forced in its effort to cover a vast amount of cultural and natural history, so it comes off as didactic. It does tell an inspiring story about the strength of the Alutiq people, however the book tells the reader this rather than allowing the reader to infer it.

Does the story show history, culture and spirituality accurately?
Since an elder told the story, I have to infer that his information is accurate.

Is the language beautiful?
What is interesting about the language in this book is that much of the information passed on takes the form of a dialogue between the grandfather and the two little boys. Apaa asks them a question. In many cases they answer with "school" types of answers. Then apaa adds his own cultural interpretation of the information. The language includes about 30 Alutiq words right in the text. This makes the text very rich in language teaching, but difficult for a non-speaker to read aloud without preparation. Pronunciation guides and definitions of the words are provided.

Does the story develop a range of characters?
This story does not develop individual characters, and it's really not supposed to. It is not fiction.

Will children want to read or listen to this story?
I doubt if many children would pick this up on their own. I think it would work best as a read aloud by a well-informed teacher. The Village of Afognak published the book, obviously as a teaching tool. It is printed with a soft cover and thick matte pages. It has the look of a self-published book.

Are the author and/or illustrator qualified to make this book?
Alisha Drabek is Alutiq and lives in Kodiak. Her co-writer, Karen Adams is an archaeologist. The illustrator, Gloria Selby is Alutiq and was raised in Afognak until the tsunami destroyed the village.

Does the story give children something to think and talk about?
The story is very interesting in that the red cedar provides a mystery from which to approach the history of the village. The solution to the mystery is approached both via storytelling and Western science. A skilled teacher could ask the children what their hypotheses about the log are prior to reading the book.

Does the local Native community approve of the telling of this story?
Yes. The names of 12 village elders and the 12 members of the Village of Afognak Tribal Council are listed at the back of the book. Additionally, other experts such as linguists, teachers and scientists are listed. Obviously, committee wrote this book.

The book is available from The Next Page Bookstore, 3833 East Rezanof Drive, Suite B, Kodiak, AK 99615. The owner, Melony Lechner can be reached at nextpagekodiak@gci.net. When I called her to order the book, she was just planning a book signing, and was able to send me an autographed copy.

Last summer, I was able to listen to a presentation by Alisha Drabek and Gloria Selby. At that time, they just had the page proofs, but they read it aloud and discussed the years of time it took to put the book together.

I personally applaud the efforts of the writers, illustrator and the village in preparing this book. It is a rich addition to the cultural material available in the schools in Afognak and Kodiak. This book will be a source of pride for the village, and a resource for the children of the area. I hope every teacher in Kodiak buys the book and shares its information with her students.

» HAIL Book Reviews