All of You Was Singing

According to an Aztec myth, when Earth and Sky are created, Earth cannot hear the music of the wind, stars and sun. Sky helps the wind steal the musicians of the sun and carry them to Earth where ``silence is opened.'' For a young reader, the story might sometimes be obscured by Lewis's complex and sophisticated language. Certainly the change in narrator--two different voices tell the creation myth and the story of how music came to earth--should have been made more clear. But Lewis's dense imagery will be welcomed by more experienced readers and by book collectors. ``From your eyes,'' Sky tells Earth, ``the gods made springs / of cold water. / From your mouth, they made the deep caves / and echoing caverns.'' Young's pastel illustrations are stunning if somewhat obscured by their highly abstract quality. Black-edged drawings are bordered by scumbled pastel designs that make use of Aztec motifs. The drowning orange sun can be glimpsed through a rent in the black sky. Both Lewis's lyrical text and Young's spectacular illustrations make considerable demands on the reader but play melodies that will long sing in the heart. All ages. (Mar.)