A beautiful, if overstuffed, compendium of First Nations' prayers, aphorisms and storytelling about animals. The title comes from the Lakota prayer refrain mitakuye oyasin , which means "all my relatives," or "we are all related." Each spread holds a story or two, and then a series of quotations or sayings about the animal in the story, all carefully but unobtrusively footnoted. The profusion of illustrations, brightly colored and "taken mostly from tipis, shields and drums," says Goble in an author's note, are both fascinating and pleasing to look at. Sometimes the pictures are so numerous they overwhelm the text, and sometimes the pages seem to have too many words. However, the stories and the wisdom are strong, and occasionally enchanting: "The buffalo liked to wallow their big heads in the sunflowers . . . Perhaps they did this to decorate themselves, or maybe they liked the smell of the flowers." Especially useful for older children. (foreword by Joe Medicine Crow, author's note, footnotes) (Folktales. 8-12)

Gr 4 Up-The pages of this book are chock-full of quotations, songs, and brief stories that exemplify Native American attitudes toward nature. No segment is longer than half a page; most are a few sentences. Black Elk, Standing Bear, Brave Buffalo, and others observe the importance of various animals and the sacred qualities of all living things. All 120 sections are documented. The spaces between text blocks are filled with Goble's familiar illustrations based on traditional Native American designs and colors. Few readers will wade through the entire book. Even browsing is difficult. Perhaps this dense volume could serve as a reference source for teachers planning units on Native American culture. Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve's Enduring Wisdom (Holiday House, 2003) includes fewer sayings but is less overwhelming visually and verbally. Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato