| Carol March McLernon |
| Black Hawk: A Boy and his Vision by Carol March McLernon The boy belongs to the Sauk tribe, the last Native Americans to live east of the Mississippi River. He learns survival skills from other tribal members. He witnesses the introduction of horses and the influx of white men using steel traps instead of wood and rawhide snares to cature fur-bearing animals. These are life-changing events for the tribe. According to Sauk custom, the boy leaves the village alone to seek a vision which allows him to enter adulthood with a new name—Black Sparrow Hawk. |
| Carol McLernon grew up on a 100-year family farm in Wisconsin. Some of the old photos found in the rock farmhouse were used in her book, Leadmining Towns of Southwest Wisconsin. The pictures inspired her to write several fictional books including Adventures with Jack, String of Hope and Samuele Man with Many Names. McLernon attended school near a small mining community which had become a ghost town when Black Hawk tried to regain lands the Sauk tribe had ceded in the Treaty of 1804. She taught in Lake Geneva Schools and completed her master’ s program at nearby University of Wisconsin/Whitewater. |
| REVIEWS Readers of all ages will appreciate the richness of the story McLernon weaves in Black Hawk a Boy and his Vision. Complemented by the marvelous watercolor illlustrations of Kay Pleuss Meyer, it is a fascinating portrait of not only the early life of the notable Native American but the tribe in which he grew up. Her simple, effective language invariably prompts readers to imagine themselves among the native people, living as they did. (Her)... description of their lifestyle, culture and the relationship to nature sets the context for the growth of Black Hawk and the climactic ending of the story . . . (The author's note) . . . provides significant context for understanding Black Hawk later in life and even the symbolism of his name. Fred Noer - Writer, Editor, Photographer - Delavan, WI I want to recommend Black Hawk: A Boy and His vision to all young readers and their parents and teachers. The author offers an engaging glimpse of life in a late eighteenth century Sauk village and how the famous Sauk leader came to be known as Black (Sparrow) Hawk. May this book be but a beginning for a revival of interest in one of our Midwestern Native American giants. We honor his memory most by knowing about him and . . .how he lived . . . Rev. John C. Helt, PH.D - Pastor St. John's U.C.C - Colgate, Ms. McLernon aptly shows the development of Native American boys, from youth into mahood. The Vision Quest vividly portrays their final challenge before acceptance as an adult of the Sauk tribe. Sharon Dexter, published author - Lake Geneva, WI Black Hawk a Boy and his Vision is an illustrated book about the childhood of the famous Sauk . . . leader known as Black Hawk, born in 1767. Written especially to interest readers ages 5 to 10 . . . (the book) traces any growing up experiences of the young boy...The sensitive water color paintings are a fitting backdrop to this boyhood story of the naing of Black Hawk, great warrior . . . from the last Native Amercan tribe to live east of the MIssissippi River. Midwest Book Review |