%% This is a multi-book review. SEE the title How Do Flies Walk Upside Down ?" for next imprint and review text. %% (Reviewed November 1, 1999)

In rural 1950s Alberta, white and native people rarely mix, so Will and Blackfoot Arthur's friendship is an oddity. When the two see rich Old Man Howe beating a Blackfoot youth, they use their marginal status to uncover the mystery. This initially slow-moving, overly complicated adventure centering on land ownership ultimately focuses as much on family history as it does on race.

Gr 2-4-A series of questions about weather and astronomy that children will find intriguing. How and why the weather changes; why there are different clouds; and the driest, wettest, coldest, and hottest places on Earth are typical of the topics covered in Rain. Stars includes how stars are formed; why Mars is red; theories on the formation of the universe; and the life of our sun, moon, galaxies, and planets. The illustrations in Rain are clear and bright but somewhat static, while those in Stars are dramatic. Although the books are designed for browsing, good indexing makes the information easily accessible for basic reports.-Kathryn Kosiorek, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.