Author Description

The Cherokee Syllabary: An Illustrated Key to the Cherokee Language is a tool for parents and educators to introduce Cherokee children to the syllabary of their native language. Adults as well can appreciate the simplicity of the format to help become familiar with their Native speech. On each page spread, there is a beautiful illustration of a syllabary character, a Cherokee word that contains the character, how to pronounce the word in Cherokee, and the word in English. Along the bottom of a page is a row of syllabary characters and their pronunciation. The concept for the illustrations was influenced by medieval illuminated manuscripts. The intent is to allow people of all ages to learn, appreciate and celebrate the historic Cherokee language that was created in written form by Sequoyah in 1891. This book is a valuable resource for schools and libraries by adding multicultural diversity to their classrooms and collections.