James Rumford introduces Sequoyah, the Cherokee man who invented the syllabary that gave his people a written language, as a brave leader of his people,” but not as you might think.” Rumford explains Sequoyah’s concern for the future of the Cherokee: did not want them to disappear in the white man’s world. He did not want their Cherokee voices to fade away.” Sequoyah’s early efforts were lost when some Cherokee burned down his cabin, fearing the symbols he was developing were evil. When his six-year-old daughter, Ayoka, learned to read their language, views began to change. In 1824, the Cherokee Nation honored Sequoyah’s efforts, the results of which live on: Rumford’s restrained and elegant words are translated into Cherokee in this bilingual book. The author/artist used watercolor, pastel and pencil on paper adhered to wood to create illustrations that have the look and texture woodcuts. (Ages 6–9)

The story of Sequoyah is the tale of an ordinary man with an extraordinary idea—to create a writing system for the Cherokee Indians and turn his people into a nation of readers and writers. The task he set for himself was daunting. Sequoyah knew no English and had no idea how to capture speech on paper. But slowly and painstakingly, ignoring the hoots and jibes of his neighbors and friends, he worked out a system that surprised the Cherokee Nation—and the world of the 1820s—with its beauty and simplicity. James Rumford’s Sequoyah is a poem to celebrate literacy, a song of a people’s struggle to stand tall and proud.