When Raven Dances


Book Description

When Raven Dances tells the story of a girl growing up in in Seward, Alaska after World War II. It is also a study in mythology, reminding us that dangers lurk in the midst of happiness. Ms. Bigelow has obviously done a lot of research into the history of Seward, Alaska, a port often overlooked by tourists as they board or disembark their luxury ocean liners. She is able to weave in the language and folklore of Native Americans and other early immigrants from Alaska to New Mexico. Her descriptive writing style reminds one of Elizabeth Peters, author of the popular Amelia Peabody series. Many details bring the 1940s vividly to life. Most of us today are unaware of what sacrifices U.S. citizens had to make for the war effort. There are many suspenseful events in this novel that keep us turning the pages. Readers will be hoping for a sequel to learn what else happens to our gutsy heroine and her compatriots. Patricia Cleavenger, teacher of English literature and Columbia Basin College librarian War disrupts a young child's life when her father is killed in action. As a result, her mother decides to leave the comforts of New Mexico to seek a new life for them in far north Alaska. This story chronicles the ups and downs, adventures and misadventures in her life as she and her mother struggle to establish themselves in their new world. This is a “feel good” book worth your time. Read it. You will be glad you did. William R. Brooksher, Brigadier General USAF, military historian and author of Glory at a Gallop: Tales of the Confederate Cavalry




Raven Dance


Book Description

3,700 years from Earth, rebels Janna and Marek awaken the sleeping First Colonist Malcolm Evans who restores human culture to the totalitarian regime that grew up while he slept... and human values to the revolutionaries. They should never have called it Utopia.




Trailblazer


Book Description

This beautiful picture book tells the little-known story of Raven Wilkinson, the first African American woman to dance for a major classical ballet company and an inspiration to Misty Copeland. When she was only five years old, her parents took her to see the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Raven perched on her crushed velvet seat, heard the tympani, and cried with delight even before the curtain lifted. From that moment on, her passion for dance only grew stronger. No black ballerina had ever danced with a major touring troupe before. Raven would be the first. Raven Wilkinson was born on February 2, 1935, in New York City. From the time she was a little girl, all she wanted to do was dance. On Raven's ninth birthday, her uncle gifted her with ballet lessons, and she completely fell in love with dance. While she was a student at Columbia University, Raven auditioned for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and was finally accepted on her third try, even after being told she couldn't dance with them because of her skin color. When she started touring with her troupe in the United States in 1955, Raven encountered much racism in the South, but the applause, alongside the opportunity to dance, made all the hardship worth it. Several years later she would dance for royalty with the Dutch National Ballet and regularly performed with the New York City Opera until she was fifty. This beautiful picture book tells the uplifting story of the first African American woman to dance for a major classical ballet company and how she became a huge inspiration for Misty Copeland. Theodore Taylor III's unique, heavy line style of illustration brings a deeper level of fluidity and life to the work, and Misty Copeland's beautifully written foreword will delight ballet and dance fans of all ages.




Dancing with Raven and Bear


Book Description

Original tales inspired by Native American and Norwegian folklore that highlight the wisdom of the divine natural world • Shares unique stories about Earth Medicine and animal magic, inspired by the author’s unusual Native American (Hopi) and Norwegian upbringing • Interwoven with ancient teachings and everyday practical applications of Earth Medicine, such as grounding and dream interpretation • Each tale is beautifully illustrated with the author’s original art, which promotes spiritual understanding and the power of the Earth’s healing properties • Paper with French flaps Drawing on both her Native American (Hopi) heritage and her Norwegian upbringing, renowned mystic and intuitive healer Sonja Grace shares original wisdom tales, received through her heart and soul, to take you on a journey into the magic of Raven and Bear and the healing power of Earth Medicine. Featuring Sonja’s distinctive and beautiful artwork, each story is embedded with ancient teachings to inspire you to live closer to the Earth. The fables include powerful examples of animal magic and everyday, practical applications of Earth Medicine, such as simple energy exercises, dream interpretations, Earth Medicine prayers and meditations, and using medicinal plants to manage negative energies. As background to the stories, Sonja reveals parallels between Norse mythology and Native American traditions and explores the symbology of animals and the recurring central theme of the tension between light and darkness. In Norse myth, the great god Odin, for instance, is often accompanied by Ravens. These birds are considered manifestations of the Valkyries, the goddesses who brought brave soldiers to Valhalla, while in Native American traditions, the Raven is viewed as a trickster or messenger, a magical creature with the ability to shapeshift into a human or animal, yet also portrayed as a hero overcoming adversity. The Bear on the other hand can embody the healer who grounds our energy and removes illness or can represent the inner part of us that has faith. In one fable, Sonja brings Bear to life as a mythical creature singing songs to bring in the light, reflecting the powerful lesson that by using our voice and speaking the truth we can hold darkness at bay. Throughout all of the stories, Raven and Bear teach us to be responsible for our actions and develop spiritual accountability. By sharing these tales of Earth Medicine, Sonja offers not only a path of reconnection with the Earth but also medicine for the soul. She shows how the Earth works in unity within herself and provides a warehouse of knowledge for all who live upon her.




Raven Girl


Book Description

A postman who encounters a fledgling raven while on the edge of his route decides to bring her home. The unlikely couple falls in love and conceives a child--an extraordinary raven girl trapped in a human body. Betwixt and between, she reluctantly grows into a young woman, until one day she meets an unorthodox doctor who is willing to change her.




Raven


Book Description

From the author of Street Pharm and Snitch comes an acclaimed urban fantasy that tests the limits of love and immortality. Zin dances with fire in every step, speaks with a honey-sweet voice, and sees with eyes that can peer into your soul. Nicole’s friendship with him is the only thing that saves her from the boredom of school and the turmoil of her family life. It’s no wonder why Nicole is madly in love with him. But she can’t understand why he keeps her at a distance, even though she can feel his soul reaching out for hers. Zin is like no man Nicole has ever met, and he carries with him a very old secret. When Nicole uncovers the truth, her love may be the only thing that can save him from it…




The Raven's Tail


Book Description

To produce this book, Cheryl Samuel travelled to Leningrad, Copenhagen, and London to examine the six robes in Europe. She also studied the robes housed in museums in Canada and the United States. In 1985, she reconstructed Chief Kotlean's robe, using information she had gathered from her study of the actual robes and Tikhanov's paintings. In the process, she resurrected an old weaving style no longer used by the Native people on the northern coast. Through her extensive and careful research, Cheryl Samuel makes an important contribution to the knowledge of early Indian weaving.




Beautiful Ballerina


Book Description

Beautiful ballerina, you areslender,straight-legged,high-arched,symmetrical...Beautiful ballerina,You are the dance.In this celebration of ballet's splendor, lush photographs and a poetic narrative put readers center stagewith young ballerinas from the Dance Theatre of Harlem. The minimal text balances the harmony of thephotos and demonstrates the joy of movement--inviting bravissimos and encores at each reading.




Ravens in Winter


Book Description

Originally published: New York: Summit Books, 1989.




How to Know the Birds


Book Description

"In this elegant narrative, celebrated naturalist Ted Floyd guides you through a year of becoming a better birder. Choosing 200 top avian species to teach key lessons, Floyd introduces a new, holistic approach to bird watching and shows how to use the tools of the 21st century to appreciate the natural world we inhabit together whether city, country or suburbs." -- From book jacket.