A Choctaw boy tells the story of his tribe's removal from the only land his people had ever known, and how their journey to Oklahoma led him to become a ghost--one with the ability to help those he left behind.

American Indian Youth Literature Award Winner - American Indian Library Association

In this American Indian Youth Literature Award-winning story of cross-cultural friendship, a family of enslaved people and a Choctaw tribe work together on a daring escape.

There is a river called Bok Chitto that cuts through Mississippi. In the days before the War Between the States, in the days before the Trail of Tears, Bok Chitto was a boundary. On one side of the river lived the Choctaws. On the other side lived the plantation owners and their slaves. If a slave escaped and made his way across Bok Chitto, the slave was free.

Thus begins Crossing Bok Chitto, told by award-winning Choctaw storyteller Tim Tingle and brought to life with the rich illustrations of Jeanne Rorex Bridges.

Martha Tom, a young Choctaw girl, knows better than to cross Bok Chitto, but one day--in search of blackberries--she disobeys her mother and finds herself on the other side. When a tall enslaved man discovers Martha Tom, a friendship begins between Martha Tom and the man's family, most particularly his young son, Little Mo. Soon afterwards, Little Mo's mother finds out that she is going to be sold. The situation seems hopeless, until Martha Tom teaches Little Mo's family how to walk on water to their freedom.

This original story was inspired by tales passed down through spoken word. Author notes in the backmatter offer a brief overview of Choctaw history and storytelling traditions, as well as the roots of the tale. Older readers will also enjoy the author's Stone River Crossing, a novel-length expansion of this book.

American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor - American Indian Library Association

Saltypie is the sweet taste of Choctaw tears in this powerful picture-book memoir.

Bee stings on the backside! That was just the beginning. Tim was about to enter a world of the past, with bullying boys, sharp stones, and Indian spirits of long ago. But they were real spirits, real stones, very real memories....

In this deeply moving, beautifully illustrated family saga, Choctaw author and storyteller Tim Tingle describes his childhood and how he discovered his grandmother's painful history--from her orphan days at an Indian boarding school to hardships encountered in her new home on the Gulf Coast. But throughout these struggles, she kept her quiet, funny laugh and the love of family that held all the Tingles together.

Tingle says, Stories of modern Indian families rarely grace the printed page. Long before I began writing, I knew this story must be told. Seen through the innocent eyes of a young boy, Saltypie is the story of one family's efforts to honor the past while struggling to gain a foothold in modern America.

Ten-year-old Isaac, now a ghost, continues to follow his people as they walk the Choctaw Trail of Tears headed to Indian Territory in what will one day become Oklahoma. There have been surprises aplenty on their trek, but now Isaac and his three Choctaw comrades learn they can time travel. The foursome heads back in time to 1824 and Washington, D.C., to bear witness for Choctaw Chief Pushmataha who has come to the nation's capital at the invitation of his dear friend Andrew Jackson not knowing a deadly trap has been laid.

A Choctaw tale of tragedy, good and evil, revenge and ultimately forgiveness, laced with healing Choctaw humor and a little magical realism thrown in.

The hour has come to speak of troubled times. It is time we spoke of Skullyville.

Thus begins Rose Goode's story of growing up in Indian Territory in pre-statehood Oklahoma. Skullyville, a once-thriving Choctaw community, was destroyed by land-grabbers, culminating in the arson of New Hope Academy for Girls in 1896. Twenty Choctaw girls died, but Rose escaped. She was blessed by the presence of her grandmother Pokoni and her grandfather Amafo, both respected elders who understand the old ways.

Soon after the fire, the White sheriff beats Amafo in front of the town's people, humiliating him. Instead of asking the Choctaw community to avenge the beating, her grandfather decides to follow the path of forgiveness. And so unfolds this tale of mystery, Indigenous magical realism, and deep wisdom. It's a world where backwoods spiritualism and Bible-thumping Christianity mix with bad guys; a one-legged woman shop-keeper, her oaf of a husband, herbal potions, and shape-shifting panthers rendering justice.

Tim Tingle--a scholar of his nation's language, culture, and spirituality--tells Rose's story of good and evil with a local perspective and even laugh-out-loud Choctaw humor.

Book of the Year in the Popular Culture category Finalist and Storytelling World Award WinnerIn the Native American tradition, a strong connection exists between the spirit world and the natural world. What happens in one has direct and often reciprocal impact on the other. In this collection, Choctaw storyteller Tim Tingle draws from the rich heritage of the Five Civilized Tribes - the Creek, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole nations - and brings tales from the spirit world into our world. These spine-tingling stories not only entertain but provide a window into the native customs and beliefs of these still-vital communities. In Eagle Slayer, calamity befalls a Cherokee village when one member violates tradition. The Seminole story Hungry for Meat illustrates the premium the once-migratory people place on respecting the remains of the dead - and the penalty for doing otherwise. And the Creek story Two Friends takes a horrifying twist on the teaching that we be true to ourselves: trying to be something else violates the natural order and brings a lifetime of pain and isolation. Owls, rabbits, deer, eagles - all of these spirits and more are here, shifting shapes in dizzying sequence and illuminating the values, beliefs, hopes and fears still embraced by the Five Civilized Tribes. These Native American stories will teach readers the importance of courage, resourcefulness and respect.

ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Finalist and Oklahoma Book Award Finalist In this Choctaw variant of Aesop's fable The Tortoise and the Hare, master storyteller Tim Tingle reveals some unexpected twists and expands the cast of memorable characters to include a wild turkey, a colony of ants, and a cheering squad of Little Bitty Turtles.When Rabbit boastfully challenges Turtle to a race, he gets his comeuppance and Turtle gets a little assist from his winged friend, Turkey. In the process, we learn why Turtle's shell is cracked and why you never see Rabbit racing Turtle today. The bold and vibrant illustrations capture not only the grasslands of the High Plains but also the demeanor of its animal inhabitants and the humor of the tale. This familiar Native American tale will teach readers the importance of caring, resourcefulness and respect. Tim Tingle is an award-winning author, much sought-after storyteller, and an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. His great-great grandfather, John Carnes, walked the Trail of Tears in 1835, and passed-down memories of this family epic that fueled Tim's early interest in writing and storytelling. His award winning work ranges from award winning picture books like When Turtle Grew Feathers and Crossing Bok Chitto to his collection of Native American stories, Spirits Dark and Light to his YA novels like House of Purple Cedar. August House Publishers offer free lesson plans for When Turtle Grew Feathers.

Issac and his comrades learn they can time travel, and they head back in time to the Washington, D.C., of 1824 to bear witness for Pushmataha who has come to the nation's capital at the invitation of his dear friend Andrew Jackson.

From the award-winning author of How I Became a Ghost, a tale of unlikely friendship and miracles. When Martha Tom helps Lil Mo and his family escape from the plantation across the river, it's just the beginning of a Choctaw adventure of a lifetime.

Martha Tom knows better than to cross the Bok Chitto River to pick blackberries. The Bok Chitto is the only border between her town in the Choctaw Nation and the slave-owning plantation in Mississippi territory. The slave owners could catch her, too. What was she thinking? But crossing the river brings a surprise friendship with Lil Mo, a boy who is enslaved on the other side. Then Lil Mo discovers that his mother is about to be sold and the rest of his family left behind. But Martha Tom has the answer: cross the Bok Chitto and become free.

Crossing to freedom with his family seems impossible with slave catchers roaming, but then there is a miracle--a magical night where things become unseen and souls walk on water. By morning, Lil Mo discovers he has entered a completely new world of tradition, community, and ... a little magic. But as Lil Mo's family adjusts to their new life, danger waits just around the corner.

In an expansion of his award-winning picture book Crossing Bok Chitto, acclaimed Choctaw storyteller Tim Tingle offers a story that reminds readers that the strongest bridge between cultures is friendship.

In Walking the Choctaw Road, Tingle reaches far back into tribal memory to offer this deeply personal collection of stories woven from the supernatural, mythical, historical and oral accounts of Choctaw people living today. Native American storyteller Joe Bruchac says, For a good many years now, Tim Tingle has been one of my favorite American story-tellers. Walking the Choctaw Road . . . will stay with you and lend you some of its strength. Cross the river with these stories--they'll give you safe passage.

Tim Tingle lives in Canyon Lake, Texas. His appearances throughout the nation push book sales. The cloth edition of this book sold out in little more than a year and is now in its second printing.

Bobby Byington has always had to navigate his father's alcoholism and anger, but things are looking up. His father has stopped drinking, his mother is back home, and his basketball team is winning games. But two new problems surface when his smart girlfriend is bullied by a resentful schoolmate and a fellow team member is bullied by an abusive father.

This is the second novel in the No Name series.

Storytelling World/Storytelling Magazine Award Winner I love a book that gives me what it promises, and this one does: fifty real ghost stories, drawn from a variety of sources and told in as many voices, written so as to simulate the language and delivery of a face-to-face performance, and artfully, delightfully done.--Review of Texas Books Scarcely a page will you turn in this collection of ghost stories in Texas without encountering a disembodied hand or a fang baby--creatures guaranteed to shock the shell of an armadillo. . . . Whether you read the tales out loud or spin them around a campfire, you--and your audience--will be spooked. And you'll never again saunter along a dark, deserted riverbank late at night.--Patti Ross, San Antonio Express-News Some humorous, some haunting, and some just late-night terrifying, these stories, gathered by two favorite Texas tellers, span a rich cultural heritage from the earliest Spanish explorers to the present, from La Llorona (the Weeping Woman) to the vanishing hitchhiker. Introduced by John O. West and John L. Davis, two of Texas' most respected folklorists, the stories include tales adapted by European settlers to their new southwestern settings, more historically rooted legends about such early pioneers as Britt Bailey of the Gulf Coast prairie and Josiah Wilbarger of Austin, and those notorious contemporary cautionary tales known as urban legends. With two appendixes addressing selection, learning, and telling of stories as well as sources and scholarship, Texas Ghost Stories is a full-service compendium for tellers, teachers, readers, and collectors. Celebrating both the blending and the diversity of Texan cultures through the timeless stories we love to be scared by, it is a treasury for all Texans and for those who really want to know us.

After overcoming years of trouble with his alcoholic father and surviving a near-death car accident, Bobby Byington--for the first time in his life--has a strong family. His parents are reunited, his father has turned away from the bottle, and Bobby is a starter on the high school basketball team.

But the door to trouble never stays closed. Bobby's girlfriend, Faye, is suffering attacks from a school bully, and some of Bobby's basketball teammates are dealing with all-too-familiar problems at home.

Hoping to help his friends, Bobby shares the legend of No Name, a story about a young man's heated relationship with his father. Coach Robison told it to him back when Bobby needed to hide from his own dad. As the playoffs near and the team plays to win, Coach delivers another message that extends well beyond the basketball court: Your life is carved by the choices you make. You earn your name by your actions.

After Bobby Byington's unforgettable winning high-school season, Coach Robison recruits Choctaw players from several communities to play in a summer league. Coach selects the Panther as the team's mascot, saying, To many Choctaws, young and old, the Panther is an elder watching over us, helping us when we are in need.

As the team gels and moves to the national tournament, they find out they are up against more than other basketball teams. They must deal with racist taunts and unfair sportsmanship on the court. The situation comes to a head when, on the eve of a key game against a bullying opponent, two Choctaw players are arrested for robbery.

Never doubting their innocence, Coach Robison asks, Who can we trust, and how can we find the truth?

During the Civil War, the United States Army imprisoned thousands of Navajos in unsafe conditions at Fort Sumner. Through the eyes of teenager Danny Blackgoat, we experience their struggle to survive. In this third Danny Blackgoat novel, which completes the saga, the major characters appear in a final scene of reckoning. Jim Davis, a rebel Civil War prisoner and Danny's friend, is arrested for horse theft, and Danny must choose between helping his friend or remaining free. Only the word of a Navajo woman can save them both, but will she arrive at Fort Sumner before the bugles sound and the hanging begins?

Danny Blackgoat is a teenager in Navajo country when soldiers burn down his home, kill his sheep, and capture his family. During the Long Walk of 1864, Danny soon becomes a troublemaker, refusing to accept captivity. He is sent to Fort Davis, Texas, a Civil War prisoner outpost. There he battles bullies, rattlesnakes, and soldiers, until he meets Jim Davis. Davis teaches Danny how to hold his anger and how to read and speak in English. For Christmas, Davis aids Danny in a daring and dangerous escape. Set in troubled times for the Navajo, Danny Blackgoat is the story of one boy's hunger to be free.

In the third book in the No Name series, the turmoil in Bobby Byington's life has settled down. His parents are reunited, his father has turned away from the bottle, and he is a starter on the high school basketball team.

Travis is persuaded by a lifelong friend to invest in potentially valuable property in the rain forest of Ecuador. The return on their investment is virtually guaranteed. But nothing can be so simple when Travis gets involved. Trouble catches up with him from half a world away.