THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 20, 1994 TAG: 9411170687
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Book Review
SOURCE: BY BARBARA BURNS
LENGTH: Long : 146 lines
It has been 20 years since the Newbery Award-winning Julie of the Wolves was published, and over the years author Jean Craighead George has often been asked what happened to the heroine. The long-awaited sequel, Julie (HarperCollins, $15), is finally here and begins where the earlier novel left off. Julie has survived the Alaskan tundra living in harmony with a wolf pack and now must decide if she will abandon her Eskimo ways by moving in with her father, with whom she had lost contact. Julie's tough decisions should intrigue Julie of the Wolves fans ages 9-12 and bring a new generation of readers into the fold.
Elisabeth Jane Stewart has written a fictionalized account based on her grandmother's escape from the Trail of Tears in 1838-39. On the Long Trail Home (Clarion, $13.95) is a gripping story of a young Cherokee girl and her brother who make their way back to the Appalachian Mountains, where their people had lived before being forced out. An afterword and map provide readers ages 8-11 with information that will help make this survival story unforgettable.
Crossing the Starlight Bridge (Bradbury, $14.95) is a contemporary novel for readers 8-10 about a 9-year-old Penobscot girl whose parents separate. Rayanne and her mother must move off their beloved island in Maine to the mainland where everything is different: her school, her home, her friends. Alice Mead has written a gentle story of a young girl's attempts to preserve the heritage of her family and, at the same time, adjust to the many changes in her life.
David Wisniewski, whose intricate cut-paper illustrations are his trademark, has chosen the Pacific Northwest as the setting for his latest book, The Wave of the Sea-Wolf (Clarion, $16.95). His original story is based on local myth and tells of a young Tlingit princess who saves her people from unfriendly Europeans who come to trade furs. Wisniewski includes an in-depth author's note with pertinent background information. Another of his spectacular picture books, Rainplayer (Clarion, $16.95), is based on Mayan folklore.
Another stunning picture book, a first for Virginia A. Stroud, Doesn't Fall Off His Horse (Dial, $14.99), is based on a true story from the Oklahoma Territory of the 1890s. A young Kiowa boy and several friends participate in a daring raid to steal ponies from a Comanche camp. The boys are discovered by the Comanches while fleeing the scene, and one boy is seriously wounded in the neck; he manages to hold on to his horse, however. Stroud is an award-winning Cherokee artist whose adopted Kiowa grandfather is the model for the young warrior in the story. Her illustrations are bright, jewellike and truly magical.
Author Roger Welsch explains in his introduction that he was adopted into the Omaha Tribe in 1967. Since that time he has gained a tremendous respect for Native American people and their traditional ways. It is most evident in his collection of stories for ages 8-11, Uncle Smoke Stories: Nehawka Tales of Coyote the Trickster (Alfred A. Knopf, $15). Uncle Smoke, the great storyteller, has his audience at the Big Belly Lodge under his spell as he tells four tales of Coyote - the cunning trickster-hero. A glossary of terms is most helpful.
Folk tales are a marvelous way for children to learn about the culture of a people. Native American folk tales are abundant, and many appear in picture books every season. From the master storyteller, Gerald McDermott, comes another coyote story - Coyote: A Trickster Tale of the American Southwest (Harcourt Brace, $14.95). McDermott explains that coyote stories are the most widely known and most often-told trickster tales in the Native American tradition. In this Zuni version, Coyote has a nose for trouble and, as is so often the case, he finds it. When he begs the crows to teach him to fly, they agree, but soon they become aggravated by his rude and boastful behavior. They decide to teach him a lesson he will never forget. McDermott's brilliant and bold art with its Southwestern flavor enhances this comical character.
Earlier this year McDermott won a Caldecott Honor Medal for the companion volume, Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest (Harcourt Brace, $14.95). In this tale the wise and clever Raven is a hero and finds a way to bring light into the world. Zomo The Rabbit: A Trickster Tale from Africa (Harcourt Brace, $14.95) rounds out McDermott's trickster trio.
From Paul Goble, one of the most prolific writers of Indian folklore and certainly one of the most well-known, comes Adopted By The Eagles (Bradbury, $15.95). Goble concentrates on the stories of the Plains Indians. In this addition to his great body of work, two Lakota warriors have formed a strong friendship or kola. Their relationship is put to the test over the love of a young woman. Jealousy leads to betrayal as one warrior is adopted by eagles and saved from death by their generosity. Goble's distinctive artistic style is magnificent.
Dance Of The Sacred Circle: A Native American Tale (Little, Brown, $14.95) tells of a young boy whose tribe is on the brink of starvation. He begins a solitary search for the Great Chief in the Sky to beg for help in finding buffalo. Because of his bravery, Great Chief creates an animal for him to ride who will carry his burdens and help his people find the buffalo. This creature, of course, is the horse. Kristina Rodanas adapted and illustrated this Blackfeet legend, telling of a young boy's courage and determination. Gift of the Sacred Dog, a Plains Indian legend by Goble, is another version of this fascinating story.
Many Native American folk tales are pourquoi stories that explain natural phenomena. The Great Buffalo Race (Little, Brown, $14.95), a Seneca tale, explains how the buffalo got its hump. Author Barbara Juster Esbensen notes that it may seem surprising that a tale about buffalo would originate with the Seneca, part of the Iroquois nation of the Eastern woodlands. But about 1,000 years ago buffalo herds from the Great Plains crossed the Mississippi River and wandered east. Esbensen and illustrator Helen K. Davie have teamed to create a handsome retelling. An Ojibway tale, The Star Maiden, is one of their earlier works and explains the origin of the water lily.
The Great Ball Game: A Muskogee Story (Dial, $14.99) by Joseph Bruchac explains why birds fly south each winter. A stick ball game is played between the Birds and the Animals to settle a disagreement. The first team to score gets to set the other side's punishment. The bat has the characteristics of both a bird and an animal, yet is not invited to play on either team. The Birds reject him because he is too small, so the Animals finally agree to let him play on their team. The bat scores the first goal; as a punishment he banishes the Birds for half of the year. Susan L. Roth's carefully selected cut-papers add a variety of textures and hues to the collage illustrations that accompany this perfectly delightful tale for ages 4 and up.
From another Iroquois nation tribe, the Mohawks, comes another pourquoi tale, Owl Eyes (Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, $15). It explains why the owl has such a short neck, why its eyes are so large and why it is nocturnal. Frieda Gates, part Mohawk herself, retells this marvelous legend, accompanied by expressive illustrations by Yoshi Miyake. One double-spread painting looks like the owl is going to fly right off the page.
The titles in Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve's marvelous new nonfiction series, ``The First Americans Books, '' for ages 9-12, profile a Native American group - The Sioux, The Navajos, The Nez Perce and most recently, The Seminoles (Holiday House, $15.95). Sneve's extremely readable style features creation myths, tribal history, family life and traditions. MEMO: Barbara Burns is a librarian in the Lower School at Norfolk Academy. ILLUSTRATION: Jacket illustration by WENDELL MINOR
Jacket illustration by DAVID WISNIEWSKI
Jacket illustration by GERALD MCDERMOTT
Jacket illustration by YOSHI MIYAKE
Jacket illustration by PAUL GOBLE
by CNB