Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 3-5. In this sophisticated picture book, Goble retells a Lakota legend of betrayal and love. Two young warriors swear friendship, but when they become rivals for the same maiden, one abandons the other on a rocky ledge. Saved by eagles, the abandoned warrior returns to his village and shames his former friend into leaving, then marries the girl. The illustrations are vintage Goble--stylized figures in historically accurate clothing, outlined in white and set against landscapes of vast sky or dark, slanting rock. The text includes some terms in Lakota language (in boldface type), and there's an introductory note on the tale's source as well as a cautionary note to teachers about assigning children the task of writing "imitation Indian" stories. ~--Mary Harris Veeder
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A hunter is betrayed by his friend in this Lakota tale, retold with Goble's signature illustrations and his characteristic concern for cultural authenticity. All ages. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3White Hawk and Tall Bear are great friends, or kolas, sworn to do everything together, including die in one another's defense. The friendship is strained however, when they both fall in love with Red Leaf, and White Hawk betrays his friend, leaving him to starve on a remote ledge of a high butte. Tall Bear survives with the help of a family of eagles who feed and care for him as though he were one of their own. When the eaglets grow in size, they carry Tall Bear safely down to the Earth. He returns to the village, and White Hawk flees in disgrace. Tall Bear marries Red Leaf and together they visit his friends, cementing the relationship between the ``Two-legged People'' and the ``Eagle Nation.'' Goble's retelling of this Plains Indian story is somewhat sanitized when compared to Jenny Leading Cloud's version in The Sound of the Flutes and Other Indian Legends (Pantheon, 1976; o.p.). Nevertheless, this version remains an absorbing tale. The watercolor illustrations, as usual, are excellent. However, two disturbing elements must be pointed out. The author felt compelled to note that the ``traditional kola friendship of two Lakota men, as described in this story, was never a homosexual relationship.'' He follows this totally unnecessary statement with a condescending note to teachers, discouraging them from having students write their own ``Indian'' stories as it ``belittles these traditional stories.'' If you are willing to overlook these remarks, this book will make a nice addition to most collections.George Delalis, Chicago Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Two Lakota boys declare their special friendship. But when they fall in love with the same maiden, one resorts to treachery, leaving his friend to die on a deserted butte. Eagles rescue the abandoned warrior, and he marries the girl after the former friend flees in shame. Dramatic, historically accurate illustrations in Goble's trademark style feature sweeping views of plains, rocky outcrops, and cloud-filled skies. From HORN BOOK 1994, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
