Two Bad Boys: A Very Old Cherokee Tale

""Since that time, people have had to hunt for their meat, plant their vegetables, and work in this world."" Although this may sound startlingly like the banishment of a certain First Couple, ""two bad boys"" are to blame for this human condition, according to Haley's well-told version of a Cherokee tale. In the beginning of time, a boy's reflection in a pond springs to life. This new brother, Wild Boy, tempts the formerly obedient Boy into mischief. They discover the cave of animals from which their father sparingly hunts; they accidentally release all the animals. They find the hut from which their mother gathers abundant vegetables; they try to take some and the hut vanishes. Thereafter they and their progeny must hunt and farm vegetables to survive. Caldecott Medalist Haley's (A Story, A Story) retelling is crystal-clear, conscientiously researched and handsomely illustrated in earth-toned acrylics. Her careful compositions, essentially realistic but lightly infused with mysticism, subtly evoke a paradise lost. Ages 5-8. (Aug.)