Chooch Helped (Caldecott Medal Winner)

by Andrea L. Rogers, Rebecca Lee Kunz (Illustrator)

Overview

Best of the Year: Kirkus• Cooperative Children's Book Center

A Cherokee girl introduces her younger brother to their family's traditions — begrudgingly! — in this Caldecott Medal winning picture book written by Walter Award-winner Andrea L. Rogers and featuring gorgeous collage illustrations from debut artist Rebecca Lee Kunz.

Sissy’s younger brother, Chooch, isn’t a baby anymore. They just celebrated his second birthday, after all. But no matter what Chooch does — even if he’s messing something up! Which is basically all the time! — their parents say he’s just “helping.” Sissy feels that Chooch can get away with anything!

When Elisi paints a mural, Chooch helps. When Edutsi makes grape dumplings, Chooch helps. When Oginalii gigs for crawdads, Chooch helps. When Sissy tries to make a clay pot, Chooch helps . . .

“Hesdi!” Sissy yells. Quit it! And Chooch bursts into tears. What follows is a tender family moment that will resonate with anyone who has welcomed a new little one to the fold. Chooch Helped is a universal story of an older sibling learning to make space for a new child, told with grace by Andrea L. Rogers and stunning art from Rebecca Lee Kunz showing one Cherokee family practicing their cultural traditions.

Now in Spanish!

P R A I S E

★ “The touching narrative and its universal lesson are brought to life through Kunz’s powerful images, which make stunning use of collage to illustrate the children’s rich familial and cultural webs. Readers’ hearts will be warmed by Sissy and Chooch’s relationship and by the moving representation of Cherokee traditions. Native life and language are at the center of this beautiful sibling story.” —Kirkus (starred)

★ “Kunz’s phenomenal illustrations bring a cleverly spare text to being... Gorgeous and heartfelt in its simplicity, this book deserves a spot on the shelf alongside Goade’s Berry Song and Flett’s We All Play.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred)

★ “Tender... powerful.” —Publishers Weekly (starred)

"[Chooch Helped] highlights the joys and challenges that many older siblings face as the baby of the family grows up and begins to mimic them. Kunz’s striking mixed-media art complements this loving family story." —The Horn Book

“The artwork is warm and flushed, almost like a heart pulsing from the warmth of inclusion and support... This recommended story reminds readers how they could lead by example for those who are curious and want to also be included in the joys of life, be it miniscule chores or creating art." —School Library Journal

“Siblings everywhere will recognize themselves in this universal story of family dynamics... A warm, welcome addition to a growing body of work portraying contemporary Native families celebrating their heritage and living full, multidimensional lives." —Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646144549
Publisher:	Levine Querido
Publication date:	10/08/2024
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	9.60(w) x 10.30(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Andrea L. Rogers is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. She grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and graduated with an MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. Her picture book, Chooch Helped, was awarded the Caldecott Medal. Andrea's collection of horror stories, Man Made Monsters, received six starred reviews and won the Walter Dean Myers Award for Young Adult fiction. She is also the author of the YA novel The Art Thieves.

Author residence: Fayetteville, AR

Rebecca Lee Kunz grew up in Oklahoma and went on to earn a BFA in painting from the College of Santa Fe. Rebecca is an artist and the owner of Tree of Life Studio in Santa Fe, NM, where she runs her business and raises three daughters. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation, her work draws upon traditional iconography and is greatly inspired by mythic and archetypal symbolism. Her debut picture book, Chooch Helped, was awarded the Caldecott Medal.

Illustrator residence: Santa Fe, NM

Editorial Reviews

[STAR] "Author Rogers and illustrator Kunz, both members of the Cherokee Nation, portray Sissy’s older sisterhood with tenderness... The touching narrative and its universal lesson are brought to life through Kunz’s powerful images, which make stunning use of collage to illustrate the children’s rich familial and cultural webs. Readers’ hearts will be warmed by Sissy and Chooch’s relationship and by the moving representation of Cherokee traditions. Native life and language are at the center of this beautiful sibling story.” – Kirkus (starred)

"Highlights the joys and challenges that many older siblings face as the baby of the family grows up and begins to mimic them. Kunz’s striking mixed-media art complements this loving family story." – Horn Book

"The artwork is warm and flushed, almost like a heart pulsing from the warmth of inclusion and support... This recommended story reminds readers how they could lead by example for those who are curious and want to also be included in the joys of life, be it miniscule chores or creating art." – School Library Journal

"Siblings everywhere will recognize themselves in this universal story of family dynamics... A warm, welcome addition to a growing body of work portraying contemporary Native families celebrating their heritage and living full, multidimensional lives." – Booklist

"Tribal designs and patterns, in hues of sand and clary, add texture to this touching picture book." – The New York Times

[STAR] “Tender… powerful.” – Publishers Weekly (starred)

[STAR] “Kunz’s phenomenal illustrations bring a cleverly spare text to being... Gorgeous and heartfelt in its simplicity, this book deserves a spot on the shelf alongside Goade’s Berry Song and Flett’s We All Play.” – Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred)

From the Publisher

★ 2024-07-04
A young Indigenous girl attempts to get along with her infuriating little brother.

Sissy has a mischievous 2-year-old brother called Chooch—an affectionate nickname based on the Cherokee word forboy orson. No matter what the usdi (baby) does, he “just gets away with everything”—from painting streaks through Elisi’s mural to making a mess of Edutsi’s grape dumpling flour. Each transgression is followed by the same refrain: “Chooch helped.” Sissy has less tolerance for her brother’s “assistance,” and the last straw comes when Chooch damages her clay pot. After the fed-up narrator screams at the little boy, her parents yell at her, bringing the beleaguered sister to tears. But Chooch shows up to do what he always does—with his arms around a sobbing Sissy, “Chooch [helps].” Sissy comes to understand that young children learn by watching others and that her patience helps Chooch grow. Author Rogers and illustrator Kunz, both members of the Cherokee Nation, portray Sissy’s older sisterhood with tenderness; illuminating backmatter explains the links between the story and the creators’ own heritage. The touching narrative and its universal lesson are brought to life through Kunz’s powerful images, which make stunning use of collage to illustrate the children’s rich familial and cultural webs. Readers’ hearts will be warmed by Sissy and Chooch’s relationship and by the moving representation of Cherokee traditions.

Native life and language are at the center of this beautiful sibling story. (author’s and illustrator’s notes, instructions for creating a pinch pot, glossary)(Picture book. 4-10)

Kirkus Reviews