The Boy Who Dreamed of an Acorn

First-time author Casler combines what is essentially a New Age parable with the Native American rite of the spirit quest, producing a strange hybrid with no strong roots. Three boys climb a mountain to seek dreams of power to guide them in their lives. One boy dreams of a bear, the second of an eagle, and the third only of an acorn. The meaning of the first two dreams soon becomes apparent, for one boy becomes a great fisher, the other a keen hunter. But the third boy must wait, talk with a wise man, watch an acorn grow into a tree, and strive to be as the tree, which gives freely to all. Only then is he happy and appreciated, ``for the boy who had dreamed of an acorn became a man whose heart branched out wide like an oak tree, giving kindness and shelter to all who came his way.'' Perhaps uninspired by this sentimental message, Begay does not reach as high as in Ma'ii and Cousin Horned Toad; although his characteristic, densely colored backgrounds still satisfy, his scenes lack the humor and cultural specificity of that previous work. Ages 4-up. (Sept.)