Knots on a Counting Rope by Bill Martin Jr.

Knots on a Counting Rope Reviews

• 
  Carolynne

  This is a difficult book to review because on the one hand it is a moving and poetic account of a little boy's (formally named "By-Strength-of-Blue Horses") eagerly asking and prompting his grandfather to tell the story of the boy's own life, a story that, when it is completed, is marked by a knot on a counting rope. As the story is told, the boy's blindness is revealed, which makes more suspenseful the episode of a horse race among this boy and others. That is what makes the counting rope pertinent: when the rope is filled with knots, the boy will be able to his own story by heart. The watercolor paintings by Ted Rand are darkly evocative of families storytelling around a campfire.
  On the other hand it cannot be considered an authentic portrayal of Indian storytelling. Archambault and Martin wrote several books together, and this the only one with a Native American theme. Archambault is from Pasadena and Martin is from Kansas, from a family with a storytelling tradition, but neither is Indian. There is no authors' note to suggest what if anything their research may have been although the publisher at one time claimed that the people pictured in the illustrations were Navajo and Hopi. The People pictured are not specifically identified in the book as part of any nation, and the story needs to be seen just as an emotional encounter between a boy and his grandfather, not between an Indian boy and his Indian grandfather. Viewed in that perspective, the language seems awkward and stilted. According to the review in _Through Indian Eyes: The Native Experience in Books for Children_ by Beverly Slapin and Doris Seale (New Society, 1987), the pictures show representations of many different tribes, with faces like Plains Indians, braids like Mandan, Blackfeet and others, Cheyenne style earrings, and so on. They believe that the grandfather's assertion that the frail newborn would not die was insulting to the spirits, and that the family would name him immediately, not waiting for some spiritual revelation, in this case the mysterious appearance of blue horses. Furthermore, they say that the boy's repeated eager interruptions of the grandfather would simply not happen (pp. 182-184). Slapin and Seale write, "The romantic imagery of this book is no less a white fantasy than the bloody savages of more overtly racist titles. . . . It is a crass, and deliberate, rip-off--an insult to all of us, and most of all to the people of the Navajo Nation(p. 184)."
  The lack of cultural authenticity in the text and illustrations certainly weaken its value as a multicultural story.
  
• 
  Kireja

  I really liked the idea of storytelling, of the connection between grandfather and grandson, of passing wisdom and knowledge from one generation to another, of learning to live with and overcoming a disability, and of the strength of family. However, as an educator I found some aspects of this book problematic. I think that there are benefits in teaching multicultural literature but we need to be careful that we are not teaching and promoting stereotypes and inaccurate and inauthentic stories. Therefore I would like to direct you to this paper on the following site titled: Examining Multicultural Picture Books for the Early Childhood Classroom: Possibilities and Pitfalls.
  
  
  http://ecap.crc.illinois.edu/pubs/kat...
  
  There is a short paragraph regarding this book within this paper as follows:
  
  In Knots on a Counting Rope, Ted Rand’s illustrations suggest primarily that the story is set in the Navajo nation, but his work reflects inadequate research into the culture. The book shows a mix of material culture from several different nations. For example, traditional Navajo men in the story are shown with hairstyles typical of the Atsina, Blackfeet, Mandan, and Piegan nations. Also, Pueblo people are shown at a horse race wearing traditional ceremonial clothing inappropriate for everyday wear (Reese & Caldwell-Wood, 1997, p. 177).
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  Jennifer (JenIsNotaBookSnob)

  I didn't bother to finish this book. I was reading it to my 6 year old and the cultural inaccuracies were fairly blatant. The unfortunate thing is that this could have been a decent book had they just not tried to make it a Native American book. This is why the most commonly given book advice is, 'write what you know'. Additionally, if you are writing about something you do not know, research the heck out of it. That doesn't feel like it happened here. This book isn't a negative portrayal of Native Americans exactly, but, it is more the myth of the Native American rather than the reality. The illustrations are a mix of multiple groups and not coherent.
  
  It is one thing to write a fantasy, but, if your story is a fantasy your people should be a fantasy too, not real people that you've turned into a myth. Definitely don't recommend for the classroom.
• 
  Kate Hastings

  Elementary. This book concerns me. It is very popular in the education world-- written and illustrated by two very reputable names in children's literature. Although well-intentioned, this book is offensive to native peoples (See the Oyate site), and unless you are a part of the culture you might not know it. The main problems: costume is not unique to any one tribe-- very general in grouping Native tribes together--and not appropriate, along with some of the imagery and behavior. There are better books out there to use. Check the Oyate site for recommendations. Do not perpetuate the inaccuracies.
• 
  Inge

  Does your library own this book? Time to weed it:
  https://web.archive.org/web/200803031...
• 
  Andrea

  This was okay. It did get old how the boy kept asking him to tell him each line again, and I was searching for how the story got called knots on a counting rope, because the rope didn’t come in until the very end.
  
  You have to figure out for yourself that the boy is blind by using clues because it doesn’t come out and say that he’s blind or can’t see. I wasn’t crazy about the writing and the illustrations were just okay.
  
  It was a nice message though that even though he was blind he saw things clearly and could still do things like race his horse because his horse could see for him. And his grandpa would still be with him after he was gone. He was preparing his grandson for being able to tell the story himself after he was gone.
• 
  Heather

  I didn’t like the lines of text separated, it made it sound odd to read with the sentences sometimes broken up on different lines. There was also no quotation marks for someone’s words.
  “There will never be a last time
  Promise me that.
  Promise me.”
  
  “I promise you nothing, Boy.
  I love you.
  That is better than a promise.’
  
  I thought the grandfather was just calling him Boy, which sounded impersonal. But I realized it was part of his name: Boy-Strength-of-Blue-Horses.
  
  I loved the pages of them riding horses up in the mountain, and the horse race. The blue sky, flowers, colorful outfits were so pretty!
  
  “Don’t be afraid, Boy!
  Trust your darkness!
  Go like the wind!”
  
  -“Who is that boy riding bareback…
  racing the race with all of his heart?”
  
  “That is Boy-Strength-of-Blue-Horses…
  He and his horse are together like one.”
  
  The grandfather added another knot on the rope. When it was full the boy would be able to tell the story to himself.
  “Don’t ever leave me.
  What will I do without you?”
  
  “You will never be alone, Boy.
  My love, like the strength of blue horses,
  will always surround you.”
  
  The illustrations were the best part. I wasn’t crazy about the writing. There were some good lines and moments though.
• 
  Rachel Replogle

  I found this historical fiction well written and attention-grabbing. It tells the story of a young Native American boy born with blindness, searching for confidence despite his disability. As the well-developed plot unfolds, readers will understand that confidence and how you view yourself is determined by internal qualities and not the physical attributes society so presses. The storyline is action-packed and filled with moments that will both intrigue and surprise young readers. The book is straight-forward about the boy's blindness and honest about the personal, internal struggles people with blindness may face. This story also offers a perspective on Native American beliefs and lifestyle, and teaches young readers that cultures within their own country are vast and plentiful. The illustrations are beautiful, colorful, and large. They do a great job of better developing the context and visually bringing the story to life. My only critique of this book is the text style. The formatting of the conversation between the boy and his grandfather may be mixed up if not closely followed. However, every other aspect of this story I found wonderful.
• 
  Kristen

  My son and I read this when he was in grade school. I read a little more about the origin of the story and found some conflicting inaccuracies that I hope others will be encouraged to research out and correct the misrepresentation found in this Native American story.
  
  
  http://ecap.crc.illinois.edu/pubs/kat.
  In Knots on a Counting Rope, Ted Rand's illustrations suggest primarily that the story is set in the Navajo nation, but his work reflects inadequate research into the culture. The book shows a mix of material culture from several different nations. For example, traditional Navajo men in the story are shown with hairstyles typical of the Atsina, Blackfeet, Mandan, and Piegan nations. Also, Pueblo people are shown at a horse race wearing traditional ceremonial clothing inappropriate for everyday wear (Reese & Caldwell-Wood, 1997, p.177).
• 
  Alana

  Awards: None
  Grade level: PreK-2
  Summary: Boy-Strength-of-Blue-Horse asked his grandfather to tell his story of his birth, his first horse and race. Every time his grandfather retells the the story, they tie a knot in a rope; when the rope is filled with knots, he will know the story by heart.
  My Review I like this book because you can also follow the story through the illustrations. This book would be great in the classroom because it teaches about Native Americans, shares the special connection with grandparents, and it has the message of don’t let a disability stop you. I learned in another class that this book was criticized since it showed the Native American culture incorrectly.
  In Class: One class activity can be to share special activities that the student does with a grandparent/aunt/uncle/cousin/etc and create a counting rope. Students can also learn about the meaning of their name through talking with family members.
• 
  Megan Gery

  There are some very valid points about cultural inaccuracies and blending many tribes into one, and I hear them. I don’t think I would use this book in the classroom. My five stars are probably mainly sentimental. My kindergarten teacher gave me this book and some of my earliest childhood memories were looking at the beautiful illustrations and retelling the story to myself before I could read. The storytelling grandfather reminds me of my own, the illustrations are gorgeous, and I cry every time.
• 
  Karl

  I’m not sure what constitutes as a classic indigenous children’s book but this one was wonderful. A beautiful reflection on the passage of our lives. A book that reflect the inter generational love between grandfather and grandson. All done tastefully with gorgeous paintings.
  
  I would have loved the creators biographies to know if any of the three were native and to which nation they belonged but I couldn’t find any. Knowing the nation of the story helps to avoid pan- indianism.
• 
  Melissa Namba

  A story with a bittersweet ending. All about the life of a little boy who was born blind. He overcomes this and lives up to his given name. But at the end, there is a feeling of sadness because you know that eventually his grandfather must die. The love between the boy and his grandfather is evident so it is sad to know that the boy's heart will be broken one day.
• 
  Desi A

  Oh, so beautiful. The words and the story. It was also a neat surprise to see the school library bookplate and discover that the book had been given to the school by a woman from our church who is a very special person. (She is in her 90s and moved here from Wales in the 50s and her father fought in the Great War.)
• 
  Hope Irvin Marston

  This picture book will appeal especially to young boys once an adult helps them understand the underlying metaphor. Not only will that enable them to appreciate the story. It will also give them a greater understanding and appreciation for the colorful, double-spread artwork.
  
  Hope Irvin Marston, c0-author of RISING FROM THE RUBBLE: THE RESTORATION OF BOLDT CASTLE