cover image Between Earth & Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places

Between Earth & Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places

Joseph Bruchac, Harcourt. Harcourt Children's Books, $16 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-15-200042-4

More than a guide to places sacred to Native Americans, this reverent book prompts readers to look within themselves to find the hallowed ground that ""sets our sprits on the right path."" While visiting ancestral land, a Native American man shares with his nephew 10 legends of sacred places from all Seven Directions: East, North, West, South-and Above, Below, Within. From the North, Seneca lore about Ne-ah-ga (Niagara Falls) teaches that ""every gift we give/ gives us back a blessing""; from Above comes a confusingly rendered Cheyenne tale about the Rocky Mountains-the only stumbling block among the fables, otherwise gracefully compressed into unrhymed verse. Locker's (Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back) traditional oil paintings, alternating between ethereal illuminations and atmospheric veils, capture the natural splendor of their subjects while retaining the hushed quality of the text. All ages. (Apr.)