For this collection of folk tales Rosalind Kerven has chosen traditional stories from twelve different North American Indian peoples. She has grouped her selection of stories around the recurrent themes of the sun, moon and stars; fantastical journeys; and two popular cultural heroes, Spider Woman, a benevolent sorceress, and Coyote the trickster. Her retellings beautifully convey the mystical atmosphere of the original stories and bring out the Native American's affinity with and respect for the natural world. A factual introduction explains the traditional role of story telling and gives background to past and present North American culture.

 

There are 79 pages in this book. This book was published 1991 by Cambridge University Press .

Rosalind Kerven trained as an anthropologist and has edited and reviewed children's books for a number of years. She has written many collections of myths and legends, and several children's novels. She lives in Morpeth, Northumberland. Alan Marks studied art at Bath Academy in 1980 and has since illustrated over 20 children's picture books. Alan's first book, Storm, written by Kevin Crossley Holland, won the Carnegie Medal, and Ring a Ring o' Roses won the Bologna UNICEF Award. In 1996, Thomas and the Tinners was shortlisted for the Smarties Prize and The Thief's Daughter became National Curriculum recommended reading. He lives in Elmstone, Kent.