Hiawatha and the Peacemaker |

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about the book

Todadaho, the evil Chief, killed Hiawatha’s wife and daughters. He burned everything Hiawatha knew to the ground.

Hiawatha wants revenge.

Then the Peacemaker appears. Hiawatha has been chosen to translate and spread the Peacemaker’s message of unity. The five Iroquois tribes have been at war far too long.

Can this Mohawk find forgiveness in his heart and succeed in uniting the tribes under the Great Law?

*Hiawatha’s actions changed how the Iroquois governed themselves to this day, inspiring the authors of the United States Constitution.

about the author

Canadian-born Jaime Royal “Robbie” Robertson, is best known as the lead guitarist and primary songwriter for The Band.

He is of Mohawk and Cayuga descent. As a result, he spent many summers on the Six Nations Reservations where his mother grew up. While there, Robbie learned about his heritage and how to play the guitar.

At age sixteen, he dropped out of school to pursue a career in music. He played for several local bands before he began working backup for the Hawks and even joined Bob Dylan on his first electric tour. Then there was The Band, whose sound was a big pot of gumbo with influences ranging from gospel music to rhythm and blues to rockabilly. In 1994, The Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Once The Band stopped touring, Robbie started a solo career and even joined DreamWorks as creative executive, working on movie soundtracks and trying his hand at acting.

When Abrams Books asked Robbie if there was a story from his childhood that really influenced him, he thought of Hiawatha and the Peacemaker. So, around all of his other projects, Robbie received the blessing of the Native American community to tell Hiawatha’s story and wrote the story of the Mohawk who can be equated to Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

Robbie lives in Los Angeles. He has three grownup children.

Sources:
Author biography: Biography
Author biography: Wikipedia
Author interview: Biography
Author interview: RollingStone

about the illustrator

David Shannon was born in Washington DC and grew up in Spokane, Washington. By the time he was five, he was already creating his own little books. He wrote one about a boy, just like him, who broke all the rules. This little handmade book became the inspiration for David’s Caldecott Honor book, No, David.

David graduated with a degree in fine arts from the Art Center College of Design. He headed to New York City and made a name for himself by creating political illustrations for magazines and newspapers.

Then he saw the variety and quality of children’s books, and decided that was the new direction he wanted to go.

David lives in Los Angeles, California, with his wife Heidi, daughter Emma, and dog Fergie. Look for Fergie in just about every book David writes. David is also working on a live action film and a TV series based on his semi- autobiographical character. When he’s not behind his desk, he will often be watching baseball or playing softball.

Sources:
Illustrator website
Illustrator video interview : Reading Rockets/YouTube
Illustrator biography : Scholastic
Illustrator biography : Biography

Also by David Shannon:
The Rough-Face Girl. Putnam Publishing. 1992.

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