Chooch Helped
by Andrea L. Rogers; illus. by Rebecca Lee Kunz
Preschool, Primary    Levine/Levine Querido    48 pp.
10/24    9781646144549    $18.99

Narrator Sissy’s little brother Chooch is two and wants to help. When Elisi (grandmother) paints a mural, Chooch helps. When Etsi (mother) sews pucker-toe moccasins, he helps. When Etlogi (aunt) plants a garden, he helps. When he tries to help Sissy make a pinch pot, things do not go so well. Sissy yells, and Chooch cries. Sissy’s parents remind her that “Chooch learns by watching. You’re one of his most important teachers.” This picture book by creators who are both citizens of the Cherokee Nation highlights the joys and challenges that many older siblings face as the baby of the family grows up and begins to mimic them. Kunz’s striking mixed-media art complements this loving family story. In an author’s note, Rogers refers to major events in Cherokee history that inspired the activities Sissy and her family engage in throughout the book. Kunz’s artist’s note discusses the Cherokee motifs and iconography used in the illustrations. End notes also include a glossary of the Cherokee vocabulary incorporated into the text and directions on how to make a pinch pot.

From the ">November/December 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.