ALA Booklist

In response to Little Turtle's questions about places sacred to the Delaware Indians, Old Bear explains that all people have sacred places and shares 10 legends from different tribes. Each legend explains how a particular place came to be, noting its ongoing significance to its tribal people. The picture-book format is similar to that of Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back (1992). Here, short, easy-to-understand legends are accompanied by full-page oil paintings in Locker's dramatic signature style. Pairing places familiar to many students, such as Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon, with legends offers readers new perspectives on the natural world and an excellent curricular connection. A solid addition for school and public libraries. A map and pronunciation guide are appended. (Reviewed April 1, 1996)

Horn Book

After describing the Seven Directions, which encompass the obvious East, North, South, West, as well as Above, Below, and the place Within, Old Bear tells his nephew stories from ten Native American tribes that are set in each direction. Each tale is a model of economy, gracefully distilling its message, while Locker's landscapes capture the mysticism inherent in each setting. A map and a pronunciation guide are included.

Kirkus Reviews

From the creators of The Earth Under Sky Bear's Feet (1995), philosophical free-verse legends about (and portraits of) places across the US and the native people who hold them sacred. Little Turtle asks his uncle, Old Bear, about the existence and meaning of sacred places; Old Bear's answer is a procession of legends, each accompanied by a full-page painting. Each tale is colorful, if stiff; each contains an ethical point; each represents a direction or an aspect of direction by which people locate themselves in physical and spiritual landscapes: east, west, north, south, center, above, below, balance lost, and balance held. The superfluous framework of the uncle and nephew's conversation includes a throwaway reference to a powwow they'll be attending later that day; much of what Old Bear conveys in these scenes is also covered by Bruchac in an author's note that precedes them. In fact, the frame (and Old Bear's overarching first-person presence in the legends) distances readers, creating a gap that the real beckoning treasures of this book—the tales themselves and Locker's monumental oil landscapes—cannot bridge. (map, further reading) (Picture book/folklore. 6+)"

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A Native American man tells his nephew 10 legends of sacred places. PW praised the """"gracefully compressed"""" unrhymed verse and the alternately """"ethereal"""" and """"atmospheric"""" oil paintings. All ages. (May)

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6--Bruchac frames 11 legends of Native American sacred places with a conversation between Little Turtle and his uncle, Old Bear, who says, " `There are sacred places all around us...They are found in the East and in the North, in the South and in the West, as well as Above, Below, and the place Within. Without those places we lose our balance.' " Bruchac writes in language that is dignified and almost poetic in its simplicity. The text is printed in stanzas, enhancing the image of prose poems. Each legend is related to one of the seven directions and is attributed to a specific people. There is a brief pronunciation guide and a map showing the general location of different Native American groups, but no other documentation is provided. Glossy, cream-yellow paper; clear, black type with the first letter on each page done in flowing, yet restrained, red calligraphy; and lush art make this a book that is pleasing to the eye. Locker's landscape paintings are done in the tradition of Constable's work, concentrating on conditions of sky, atmosphere, and light rather than physical details. His colors, veering toward the day-glow intensity of Maxfield Parrish's work, infuse the scenes with the intangible presence of the sacred. It is difficult to convey the beliefs of an entire people in one brief legend divorced from the rest of their tradition, yet these selections point to the richness possible in looking at the Earth in a spiritual way.--Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY