Did You Hear Wind Sing Your Name?: An Oneida Song of Spring

Debut author Orie, who grew up on an Oneida reservation, describes this book as a song, ""a celebration of the circle of life-the return of morning to night as well as of each cycle of the seasons."" Pitched in a soothing cadence, her narrative poses a series of questions, asking readers if they have heard, seen or experienced various phenomena that signal the approach of spring. Though her brief introductory note explains the meaning of certain Oneida symbols, many of her questions may seem obscure (""Does your memory bring Sweet Grass's fragrance?""; ""Did you see the fields of the Three Sisters coming?""; ""Did you see Trillium's Stars lying upon the Forest bed's heaven?""). More appropriately geared to the target audience are Canyon's (The Ever-Living Tree) dramatic, large-scale paintings, in which animals, insects, birds and flowers and are rendered in impressive detail. Beadwork motifs enliven the endpapers. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)