Book Discussion Guide

Buffalo Bird Girl: A Hidatsa Story by S.D. Nelson

Buffalo Bird Girl: A Hidatsa Story

Buffalo Bird Girl narrates this first-person account of her Native American childhood in the Hidatsa tribe of the American plains. Her quotes and archival photos support and enhance the narrative explanations so beautifully described in S.D. Nelson’s book entitled Buffalo Bird Girl. These descriptions of life from a bygone era and a culture that disappeared will enchant families. Most 4 th grade students will have studied the lives of Native Americans and will benefit from furthering their cultural understanding of the plains tribes. This biography beautifully weaves a nonfiction story into a narrative format.

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Questions To Talk About
While Reading

Vocabulary

It's important to make sure that your child has an understanding of key words in the book. Talking about words while reading is a great way for your child to learn new words.

In this book, you might talk about these words:

  • after (pg. 3)
  • immunity (pg. 3)
  • earth-mound lodges (pg. 5)
  • aggressive (pg. 5)
  • diameter (pg. 6)
  • tanned (pg. 14)
  • saplings (pg. 14)
  • bartering (pg. 16)
  • rigged (pg. 20)
  • repulse (pg. 22)
  • transformed (pg. 33)
  • merciless (pg. 35)
  • reservation (pg. 39)
  • signaling (pg. 40)

You might use a question like:

In the book, what does the word “tanned” mean? How does the information on page 14 help you understand what it means?

Key Ideas and Themes

In addition to words, it's important to talk about key ideas and themes and how they develop over the course of the book.

Here are some examples to get you started:

  • 1

    The actual quotes from Buffalo Bird Girl, the person, are in a red italicized font throughout the book. Talk about why the author would include them in this way. Flip through the book and talk about the format and organization of the story.

Extra Activities

  • 1

    Using books and Internet resources, research the interaction between the Hidatsa tribe and the journey of Lewis and Clark. National Geographic has a number of great resources. This would be a place to begin your research.