Spin a Silver Dollar [B2101]

1946 HCDJ 5th printing of the 1945 original, in nice clean condition except for some edge/fold wear to the dust jacket. To the Navaho Indian Reservation in Northern Arizona came Sally and Bill Lippincott, a young couple from the East, to take over the old trading post at Wide Ruins. One of their first acquaintances was Beatien Yazz, otherwise known as Jimmy, a shy, silent Navaho boy of eight whom they found squatting on the desert solemnly scratching a picture on a rock, using a pointed stone for a stylus. For four years - until they left the trading post as a part of World War II adjustment - they watched the flowering of the boy's startlingly individual talent as he painted the panorama of desert and Navaho village life. Spin a Silver Dollar is the moving story of the development of ancestral genius in a child, against the background of his people and his natural environment. But it is the story, too, of a four-year-long adventure in living for two worldly people who found a profound beauty and wisdom in the way of life which has been followed for centuries by the Navahos. Most of us dream at some time or another of leaving our prosaic city existence behind for a more romantic way of life. Spin a Silver Dollar is the account of two people fortunate enough to achieve this dream.

From Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "A wonderful story of early 20th century life of a southwest trading post in Navaho country. The interaction of the white proprietors with tribe members and their revered ways is quite interesting and frequently humorous. Great characters! Delightful illustrations."; "As far back as I can remember this book was always in my parents house. My mother loved the book and on a trip to the Southwest desert she located and bought a painting by Yazz (who grew up to be one of the best known Native Artists and lived to a great old age). I've had this book since my mother's death and now that I finally read it myself, I see why she treasured it."; "This book shows that even though you don't know how other people live, it doesn't mean they are any different than you. It also shows that even though things can get hard, as long as you believe in each other you can get through anything."