Malcolm Yucca Seed

Children's book for ages ten and up. A Navajo Indian boy returns to his hogan home from the Indian Boarding school, ashamed because of his short hair and White man's name. His father places him in charge of the family's prize possession, their sheep herd. Malcolm spends his vacation days getting re-acquainted with nature on the reservation. He defends the herd by driving away a coyote. He tells his family he killed the coyote, hoping to be praised for bravery. It is not until a storm washes away the sheep's corral, and destroys the family's crops that Malcolm's courage is tested. By saving the sheep, Malcolm is given a high honor - a Navajo name. It's a portrait of a child growing up in a changing and difficult world.