Red Cloud: A Lakota Story of War and Surrender

The award-winning author and illustrator of Black Elk's Vision and Sitting Bull continues his picture-book biography series with Red Cloud, the story of one of the most controversial leaders in Native American history.

A leader among the Lakota during the 1860s, Chief Red Cloud deeply opposed white expansion into Native American territory. He rejected treaties from the U.S. government and instead united the warriors of the Lakota and nearby tribes, becoming the only Native American to win a war against the U.S. Army. Despite his military successes, Red Cloud recognized that continued conflict would only bring destruction to his people. He made the controversial decision to make an agreement with the U.S. government, and moved his people to a reservation. The effects of his decision - as well as the conflicts that arose from those who rejected the agreement and continued fighting against white expansion, such as Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull - shaped much of the history of Native American relations with the U.S. in years to come.

Featuring archival images and S. D. Nelson's stunning illustrations, Red Cloud offers an authentic Native American perspective on one of the most pivotal eras of American history. S. D. Nelson has received praise and honor for his works. His book Sitting Bull received an American Indian Youth Literature Honor Award. Black Elk's Vision made the prestigious Texas Bluebonnet Master List and The Star People earned a Western Spur award.

“"This book's vibrant art is inspired by historical Plains ledger art; the sketches, colored pencil and bright watercolor washes, stand out against the ledger lines...One of the strongest elements of the book is its focus on treaties as symbols of nation-to-nation relationships."”

STARRED REVIEW
"The story, at once inspiring and sad, is expanded and enriched by Nelson’s beautiful ink, watercolor, and colored-pencil illustrations executed in the nineteenth-century Lakota ledger-book style...The result is an excellent volume for both independent reading and classroom use."

Booklist

STARRED REVIEW
"An impressive amount of information movingly and handsomely conveyed."

Kirkus

STARRED REVIEW
"Nelson, author of numerous award-winning books...has once again carefully researched, documented, and crafted a nuanced and valuable work of history.... Readers will appreciate this complex look at Chief Red Cloud."

School Library Journal
This book's vibrant art is inspired by historical Plains ledger art; the sketches, colored pencil and bright watercolor washes, stand out against the ledger lines...One of the strongest elements of the book is its focus on treaties as symbols of nation-to-nation relationships. The Horn Book

S. D. Nelson is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in the Dakotas. He is the award-winning author and illustrator of a number of books, including Black Elk’s Vision, Gift Horse, Coyote Christmas, and The Star People. He lives in Flagstaff, Arizona.

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