Blue Jay Girl by Sylvia Ross – Review

Everyone has a different nature, or personality, and eight year old Blue Jay Girl has an adventurous one that makes her popular and exciting to the other girls in her tribe.  She likes to explore the woods around her village, running and playing with the animals, and once, when she was six, she fell into the river when she was chasing dragonflies.  Her aunt almost drowned trying to save her, and now everyone thinks she is “a dangerous girl.” Her friends’ parents don’t want their daughters to play with her because they think their children will get hurt, and of course Blue Jay Girl is angry and upset, but she tries to respect the other parents’ feelings and doesn’t interrupt her friends when they are playing safely.  She can’t control what the other girls do, though, and when they discover her up in a tree spying on boys, she tells them to come up into the tree and watch with her.  One of the younger girls falls when a branch breaks and hurts herself very badly, and Blue Jay Girl worries not only about her friend but also herself.  How can such a dangerous girl have friends?  Will she be lonely her whole life?  She bravely seeks out the answers at the home of the tribe’s ahntru, or healer, woman and her husband, the tripne man who guards the village from evil.  She is afraid of this mysterious couple at first, but they welcome her and teach her how to be careful and thoughtful while keeping her curiosity. 

Blue Jay Girl works hard to become a valued member of her community and grows up to be a respected healer who is welcomed wherever she visits for her wisdom and consideration of those in need.  The author of this book, Sylvia Ross, celebrates her Native American heritage with this very unique story about a girl who may have lived long ago under different circumstances than girls today but shares many qualities with girls of all ages and historical times.  There are lots of details about the Yaudanchi tribe, which are part of the Yokuts Nation in California, and a glossary and pronunciation guide for the Yaudanchi words used in the story.  The bright and colorful paintings the author includes are as original as the story; Blue Jay Girl’s adventures, as well as her sadness, anger, and determination, are captured in the soft blending of colors in each image.  This is a great book for readers who are interested in Native American history as well as for those who have ever felt left out and alone.  It also shows how hard work and patience can pay off if your heart and mind are committed to learning and changing.