Love Flute: Story and Illustrations

Traditionally, the Native American man would use a ``love flute'' to woo the woman he loved, to speak to her of things that words alone could never express. In this lyrical tale, a young man too timid to profess his love is presented with such a flute by two mysterious Elk men. Goble writes with a poetic energy, a graceful enthusiasm of ``love songs carried by the breezes into the tipi circle from the surrounding pine-covered ridges and grassy hills.'' Striking illustrations in bold blocks of color are set against flowers alive with birds and butterflies. There is a pleasing simplicity to the artwork, an inherent sense of order in the pristine images. Imbued with warmth and spirit, each page seems to dance with movement and color, as if to the flute's beguiling music. Intricate black-and-white sketches of various love flutes on each page enhance this prepossessing work. All ages. (Sept.)