The Indians of New Jersey: Dickon Among the Lenapes

Rating:
Summary: An excellent fictional account of the Lenape people.
Review: By labeling this book as merely juvenile fiction, you have committed an error. Yes, this book could be enjoyed by a fifth grader, but its enormous wealth of details, its presentation of sophisticated concepts, and its intricate descriptions of such events as religious ceremonies, put this book within the adult reading level. There are even Lenape words sprinkled throughout the book and a tiny Lenape/English phrase dictionary at the back of the book. This novel is a fictional account of an English boy's rescue from drowning by a Lenape family. It details his life and the lives of those around him as he learns about and adapts to the ways of the Lenape people. He is eventually adopted into the family of his best friend. Along the way the reader is guided into every facet of Lenape life, down to the tiniest detail as to how leather was tanned and crops were grown, to the grandest concepts involving myth, legend, and the Sacred. This is not only a story about the Lenape people in particular, it is an excellent source of information for anyone wishing to know how the human race flourished before the advance of technology. Note: This review is based on the 1966 copyright version of the book by M.R. Harrington with an introduction by Mary V. Gaver.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, reading level 3rd to 5 th grade
Review: Excellent book, drawings, dictionary. Reading level 3rd to 5th grade. (Not preschool - 1st)!

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic book packed with illustrations and culture!
Review: If I were to have just one book about the Lenape People, I would choose this one! It is told in great story format and gives you an inside view of early Lenape Culture. Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down. This book is just as interesting to adults as it is for the younger generation.