Elizabeth Fronk (Children's Literature)
Bok Chitto is the river that cuts through Mississippi and serves as the boundary between the Choctaw Indian nation and the plantation owners and their slaves. Martha Tom, a Choctaw girl, is sent to pick blackberries. Her quest for blackberries leads her to cross Bok Chitto. She knows of a stone path just beneath the river's surface. As she discovers blackberries, she also discovers another people living in the woods--the slaves. Little Mo, a slave boy, leads Martha Tom back to the river and learns of her stone path; the two become good friends. When Little Mo's mother is sold and the family fears separation, Little Mo realizes he can help by using the stone path that Martha Tom has shown him. The other Choctaw Indians help lead Little Mo's family across Bok Chitto and keep the guards away by appearing as ghosts. Tom Tingle, a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, tells a very moving story about friends helping each other and reveals a lesser-known part of American History: Native Americans helped runaway slaves. The muted and soft illustrations done by Jeanne Rorex Bridges, a Cherokee ancestor, fit the story's time and place, particularly the river's muddiness. The notes at the end also provide useful information to learn more about the Native Americans in history and the background of the story. While, this is a picture book; it would make a wonderful read-aloud for middle elementary students. 2006, Cinco Puntos Press, $17.95. Ages 7 to 10.

Donna Steffan (Library Media Connection, November/December 2006)
Tingle, a superb storyteller, tells a tale of friendship and freedom about the great river, Bok Chitto, that divides two very different worlds prior to the American Civil War. One Sunday morning in preparation for a Choctaw tribal wedding Martha Tom searches for blackberries. Against her mother's instructions, she crosses the deep, brown water on stepping-stones and enters the woods where black slave families gather for worship and celebration. She becomes disoriented and Little Mo, a young slave, guides her through the woods to the banks of Bok Chitto. Together they cross the river to visit the Native American families. This friendship grows until Little Mo's mother is scheduled to be sold. Late that night Martha Tom's community of women lead Little Mo's family across the river's invisible path and down the road to freedom. Through the poetic cadence of oral storytelling and a quiet, yet penetrating voice, Tingle brings this early American tale to print as a strong read-aloud for young or middle level students or for a great quick read for older readers. The language is vividly brought to life through rich earthen-toned illustrations by Jeanne Rorex Bridges. Recommended. 2006, Cinco Puntos Press, 40pp., $17.95 hc. Ages 7 to 13.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2006)
A Choctaw storyteller teams up with a Cherokee painter to tell the story of a little girl who crosses the Bok Chitto river and befriends a group of slaves. The naive style of the art, with people often looking directly at the reader, works well with the mystical story, and the climactic moment where slaves cross the river to freedom is spine-tingling. Category: Picture Books. 2006, Cinco, 40pp, 17.95. Ages 4 to 9. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.

Marsha Harper (The Lorgnette-Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 19, No. 3))
Bok Chitto is the Choctaw name of a wide river in Mississippi. Before the Civil War, it was a boundary between slave territories and free. On the free side live some members of the Choctaw Nation; on the other side are plantations and slaves. One Sunday, a Choctaw girl named Martha Tom is sent to gather blackberries for her mother and crosses Bok Chitto to find them. She crosses on the Choctaws’ stone path hidden just under the river’s surface. There she comes upon a secret slave church meeting and is entranced by their singing. She makes friends with a slave boy, Little Mo, and shows him the secret crossing. After that, Martha crosses the river often to attend church with Little Mo’s family. A day comes when Mo’s mother is sold to another owner, and he urges the family to escape before she has to leave. He runs to ask Martha for help. She brings all the women of the Choctaw village, wearing their white ceremonial robes and carrying candles. White men with guns and dogs are watching the slave family but do not see them slip past on their way to the river. At the river, the slave-catchers, seeing the Indian women in their white robes, believe they see seven spirits rather than the seven escaping slaves walking on the water to freedom. This is a beautiful book, in concept as well as in words and pictures. The language is poetic and rhythmical--a storyteller’s language. The pictures are full-page, close-up paintings of the Indians and Negroes. Jeanne Bridges, a Cherokee Indian artist, uses the large figures for a dramatic effect and a subdued palette to enhance a sense of mystery and danger. Author Tom Tingle is a well-known storyteller, specializing in tales from his Choctaw heritage. On three pages of endnotes, he tells a little of the history and culture of his people, giving some facts about the present-day Choctaw Nation in Mississippi and Oklahoma. He also writes about the importance of the oral tradition to the Choctaw: spoken words and stories mean more to them than words on a printed page. This book unites the spoken language of story with the visual language of paintings to pass on a story that tells something important about its people. This book is highly recommended, especially for elementary grades. Fiction, Highly Recommended. Grades 3-5. 2006, Cinco Puntos, Unpaged., $17.95. Ages 8 to 11.