Knots on a Counting Rope

by Bill Martin Jr. Illustrated by Ted Rand

A blind Native American boy named Boy-Strength-of-Blue-Horses begs Grandfather to tell the stories of the night he was born and of a great race.

In this poignant story, the counting rope is a metaphor for the passage of time and for a boy's emerging confidence facing his greatest challenge: blindness.

"While classified as an Indian story, the love, hope, and courage expressed are universal". — Booklist, starred review. Full color.

Ages: 6, 8, 7, 9, 5
Interest Level: Grades K - 4
Grade Level Equivalent: 4.1
Lexile Measure: 480L
DRA: 28
Guided Reading: M
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Number of Pages: 32
Genre: Fables, Folk Tales and Myths

About the Author and Illustrator

Bill Martin Jr. Bill Martin Jr. couldn't read print until he was in college, but his beloved elementary school teacher, Miss Davis, read to him every day. Martin has worked as a teacher, a school principal, a textbook editor, and a writer. He wrote Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? while traveling on a Long Island Railroad train.

Ted Rand