for reading aloud. To quiet her granddaughter's fear of the approaching darkness, Grandmother shares what Sky Bear (also known as the Big Dipper) sees and hears through the night. This companion volume to Bruchac's Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back: A Native American Year of Moons (1992) presents 12 nature stories, each from a different North American Indian tribe, about summer fireflies, blooming cacti, the northern lights, and an old wolf's predawn song. Locker's richly colored paintings capture the mood of each story, from the midnight sun of the Inuit to the seven stars sparkling against a blue-black sky. Similar in format to the earlier book, this offers easily accessible folklore that will appeal to young listeners and readers. Source notes appended. (Reviewed Feb. 1, 1996)

In the companion to 'Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back' (Philomel), twelve brief story-poems about nighttime phenomena include stories from the Winnebago, Mohawk, Missisquoi, Pima, Cochiti Pueblo, Navajo, and other native peoples. Deeply hued paintings burst with the beauty of night, and the poems provide an imaginative introduction to Native American folklore, offering a fruitful point of departure for classroom discussion.

Thirteen poems and songs gathered from as many traditions, mostly about—despite the subtitle ``Native American Poems of the Land''—stars, spirits, and the sky. Many of the selections contain references to the Sky Bear, a constellation also known as the Big Dipper that, Bruchac (The Story of the Milky Way, p. 1185, etc.) claims, has been seen as a bear by cultures on three continents. Locker's awesome landscape technique has seldom worked to better effect: Skies flame at dawn or sunset over dramatic vistas that seem more real than the indistinct, turned-away human figures, while shadows and rich blends of blue and purple give the evening scenes an air of mystery. An engrossing companion to Thirteen Moons On Turtle's Back (1992). (notes) (Picture book/folklore. 9-12)"

Gr 1-6--A companion to Bruchac's Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back (Philomel, 1992). In that title, a grandfather shared the moon's legends with his grandson. In this book, a grandmother relates the legend of Sky Bear to her granddaughter. Sky Bear (also known as the Big Dipper) circles the Earth each night, and these 12 poems tell of what she sees and hears. Each one is from a different tribe: Mohawk, Anishinabe, Pima, Missisquoi, Winnebago, Cochiti Pueblo, Lenape, Chumash, Inuit, Lakota, Navajo, and Pawnee. Bruchac has once again compiled a thoughtful collection that eloquently bears out the theme of unity among all creatures. The selections display a wide range of emotions. Some are pensive meditations; others resound with hopeful energy. ``Mouse's Bragging Song,'' a whimsical delight, is the arrogant boast of a little creature who thinks he alone can touch the sky. Locker's luminous oil paintings add detail and depth. They glow with brilliant sky colors: sunset reds, twilight purples. The Earth Under Sky Bear's Feet lives up to the high standards of Bruchac's earlier works, and is a worthy addition.--Marilyn Taniguchi, Santa Monica Public Library, CA