Chooch Helped

K-Gr 4–Little brother Chooch (atsutsa, pronounced a-choo-ja, is the Cherokee word for boy) just wants to help his older family members and contribute in his own way. Whether it is helping with the grape dumplings, fixing the bikes, or assisting his big sister with constructing a clay pot, the sister’s patience is tested as her little brother looks up to her, but doesn’t perform tasks as well as she can. This story is a reminder that teachers were once students and to remember what it was like to be in the other person’s shoes, yearning to learn from those you look up to. The artwork is warm and flushed, almost like a heart pulsing from the warmth of inclusion and support. In dynamic, shifting perspectives, the illustrations are laced with Cherokee imagery and design, accommodating the Cherokee vocabulary words, which are offered with a simple pronunciation breaking down the syllables. The daily activities where Chooch “helps” (readers will see how loosely defined that word is) are intentional choices that are connected to important events that impacted generations of Southeastern tribes.