Boat Ride with Lillian Two Blossom

Will is trying to fish, but his younger sister Mabel keeps scaring away the fish with her noisy questions, like, ``What makes it rain?'' and, ``Where does the wind come from?'' Out from the bushes comes Lillian Two Blossom, an old Indian woman who offers to take them for a boat ride to find the answers. Off they go, with Will rowing, until the boat is lifted out of the water and into the heavens, where Lillian is transformed into a young version of herself. She points out the caribou that carries the sun across the sky from east to west, the wolves whose howls make the voice of the wind and the fish whose thrashing in the heavens make the rain. Based in part on an incident in Polacco's family history, this lovely mix of myth and realism gives a lazy summer day a shot of fantasy. The pages are awash in colorful, vibrant images; this encounter with Lillian is well worth repeat readings. Ages 4-7. (Apr.)