Her Seven Brothers

With the same artistry of his Caldecott Medal-winning The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses, Goble retells a Cheyenne star legendhow the Big Dipper came into being. A lovely Indian maiden, who finds inspiration in her love and respect for the spirits, creates seven sets of moccasins and shirts, somehow knowing that she must go in search of the seven brothers who live far from her home. When she arrives, the smallest brother is waiting for herhe, too, has power from the spirits to see and know special things. The Chief of the Buffalo Nation wants the young Indian woman to join him, but she will not go; the buffaloes charge. The youngest brother shoots an arrow into the sky and a pine tree appears, growing with the arrow's flight. They all climb into the sky and become the stars of the constellationthe maiden a smaller star nearby. This is a spry telling, dignified but lively. Thickly applied watercolors give the pictures intense hues, and an earthy but bright palette is set off with sky tones: slate blue mingles with sage green, brick orange and rich brown. All ages. (March)