A beautiful and riveting story of Sitting Bull, told in first person. Ample primary sources enhance the information about Sitting Bull’s life. Timeline, Author’s Note, Endnotes, Bibliography, Index.

Lakota picture-book author and artist S.D. Nelson examines the life and legacy of the famous Hunkpapa Lakota warrior and leader Sitting Bull in this outstanding work of biography and history for young people. Told from Sitting Bull's own perspective, the narrative follows him through his childhood, from his first buffalo kill at the age of ten, through his young adulthood, as he gained a reputation as a warrior. The incursion of Euro-American settlers, and the conflict this caused, becomes the dominant theme, as the Lakota and other native peoples of the Great Plains resist the loss of their lands and way of life. The Battle of Kildeer Mountain (1864), the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868), the Battle of the Rosebud and of the Little Big Horn (1876), and the exodus of Sitting Bull and his band to Canada (1877-81) - these are all covered, as are his eventual surrender to the US Army at Fort Bufford (1881), his time under arrest at Fort Randall (1881-83), his travels with Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show (1885), and his eventual assassination, by other Lakota, in 1890. The book concludes with an extensive and detailed timeline of Sitting Bull's life and times, a detailed afterword about the Lakota worldview, endnotes, bibliography and index...

Marvelously informative and immensely thought-provoking, Sitting Bull: Lakota Warrior and Defender of His People is one of a number of advanced picture-book biographies of famous Native Americans of the plains region that Nelson has created - see also: Black Elk's Vision: A Lakota Story, Buffalo Bird Girl: A Hidatsa Story and Red Cloud: A Lakota Story of War and Surrender - but the first that I have read. I was immensely impressed, and definitely plan to track down more of his work! Nelson manages to take a very complicated and deeply disturbing history, and do it justice, while also retelling it is a way that is engaging for young readers. The choice of first-person narrator, from the subject's perspective, is unusual, but also involves the reader in the story. The story itself is interesting - what times of change Sitting Bull lived through! - and tragic. Given all of the disturbing events chronicled here, I really appreciated the detailed author's note, in which Nelson speaks of not holding on to the bitterness of past wrongs, but moving forward. That is very helpful, I think. The accompanying visuals, which include contemporaneous photographs as well as original art done in the Ledger Book Style - a historical style used by imprisoned Native American artists during the 19th century, when they were given used ledger books, and overlaid their own stylized folk drawings upon existing writing and images - has great appeal, and is also involving. Although a picture-book, this is far too advanced in text and subject matter for very young children, and would be more suitable for upper primary and middle-school pupils, who are interested in the history of the American West, the conflicts between Euro-American settlers and Native American nations, and the life story of Sitting Bull. ( )

While this is a style of biography for elementary and middle school ages, I'm not sure this is the book to show, unless to compare with others. Although S.D Nelson has written several books about American Indians, and is himself Standing Rock Sioux, I think this particular book fell short compared to his other works. "Sitting Bull" AKA Tatanka Iyotake.
The first thing I did after reading this book is look up what other American Indians think of S.D Nelson's biography. Here is a thorough and detailed analysis of this picturebook biography:
https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2016/05/beverly-slapin....
There are factual and linguistic errors on almost every page of the book and explanations of why this picture book is not an accurate depiction. One quote sums the book up, saying "Sitting Bull: Lakota Warrior and Defender of His People misrepresents Tatanka Iyotake, Tashunke Witko, and the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota peoples and the history of the Indian struggles for survival and sovereignty. It is little different from anything else ever published that perpetuates the Lakota peoples as “relics of a tragic past.”" The critic does provide a correct, authentic biography to read instead, written by Ernie Lapointe- great-grandson and one of four living linear descendants of Tatanka Iyotake, and other notes and sources cited.

It might be highly acclaimed by many sites and magazines, as well as being written by an American Indian, but I agree with the above review that this particular account portrays American Indians in an inauthentic and dangerous light. Although it may be a beautifully rendered biography that is more palatable to younger audiences, I do not want to laud books that continue to perpetuate stereotypes. I give it 3 stars because it does provide historical pictures of the time period (although not even many of the quotes are correctly written). It may be one of the 'best' biographies that exists of Tatanka, but that does not mean it should be praised for being able to depict inaccuracies with 'style'. I am surprised by S.D Nelson because he is a well-known American Indian biographer of American Indian culture and histories. ( )

This is a must have book for all classrooms and households telling the story of Sitting Bull and giving voice to the Indigenous Americans. It shows the bravery and courage of Sitting Bull and his people in fighting for their land and rights. ( )

The story of Sitting Bull and his attempts to save his people.