When God Made the Dakotas: by Tim Kessler

Author: Tim Kessler

[Image: When God Made the Dakotas: by Tim Kessler]

“Oh, Great Spirit, the Dakotas would like a land of great stone mountains whose jagged peaks are topped with the snow of many winters, mountains where flashing trout spawn in fast rushing streams . . .”

Wakantanka opened his bag and peered inside. He set the bag down slowly, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry, Old Friend,” he said quietly. “I have no mountains left to give. Ask for something else.”

Before he creates the Dakotas, the Great Spirit, Wakantanka, asks Woksape, the Dakota medicine man, about his dreams for the land. Woksape soon learns that many of the things he imagined — verdant forests, vast lakes, towering mountains, and desert canyons — have already been given away. When Woksape allows the Great Spirit to fashion the Dakotas in his own way, however, he finds that the Dakota lands far exceed his expectations.

Tim Kessler’s creation story, framed as a Native American legend, reminds readers to find beauty and joy in what surrounds them. Paul Morin’s stunning illustrations, inspired by the landscape and spirit of the Dakotas, celebrate the unique qualities and character of the Dakota lands and people.

Paul Morin (illustrator)

32 pages; dimensions (in inches): 11 x 11
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Tim Kessler, a native of North Dakota, is a writer and seasonal park ranger in the Dakotas. He wrote this book to convey his own love for the Dakotas and to challenge readers to see the incredible beauty of what might seem to some to be an empty and desolate landscape. Tim spends his winters with his wife Mary in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. This is his first published children’s book.

When God Made the Dakotas: by Tim Kessler Author: Tim Kessler
	Item#	Type	Price
	0802852750	Hardcover	11.95
Framed as a Native American legend, this creation story reminds readers to find beauty and joy in what surrounds them. Stunning illustrations celebrate the unique qualities and character of the Dakota lands and people. Full color.

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