The Buffalo Are Back

K-Gr 4—With the call of the meadowlark and the bawling of a newborn bison calf opening Jean Craighead George's book (Dutton, 2010), the symbiotic relationship of the buffalo, the American Indian, and the grass are chronicled. The almost complete demise of the American bison and the tall grass prairie in the mid 1800s is described, as well as their comeback through the efforts of environmentalists such as Teddy Roosevelt. The story successfully combines fiction and non-fiction elements to present the history and future of the land and its occupants. Wendell Minor, whose beautiful watercolor illustrations enhance the text, also simply narrates the story in a tone that reflects the prairie. Of special note is the music of Chris Kubie that evokes the atmosphere of the setting through the use of the flute and other instruments. Other sound effects, particularly the meadowlark song, transport listeners to a gentler time and place. Page-turn signals are optional, and well-placed pauses give listeners/readers time to peruse the book.—Ann Brownson, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston