What Does "Died" Mean?

by Marjorie W. Thomas

"Grandmother, when will Grandfather return?" Baa Yzh, a young Navajo girl, misses her grandfather. One day he had gone to the Trading Post, and then never come back. Is he still at the Trading Post? Will he one day come riding up the road? Baa Yzh is sure that he will, and she watches the road for him. Grandmother has told Baa Yzh that Grandfather has died, but Baa Yzh does not understand the meaning of death. However, by listening to some illustrations from Grandmother, Baa Yzh slowly comes to understand. Grandmother uses the corn field, withered plant stems, and the loss of an old horse to clearly and simply explain what it means when something has died. By the end of the story, Baa Yzh is reconciled to the loss of her grandfather and can even understand what has happened when the family sheep dog brings home a limp rabbit.

Presented in both Navajo and English.

32 pp ~ illustrated — ©2005