Storyteller

A Pueblo girl develops an appreciation for friendship and tradition in this intergenerational story. Nine-year-old Rama's family has moved to the city to be closer to her hospitalized father. Four young siblings, a harried mother and sweet memories of simpler days in the country make the adjustment difficult. Most of all, Rama misses Grandfather's storytelling and Pueblo Indian tales, so when she meets Miss Lottie, raconteuse extraordinaire, the child's delight--and that of her siblings--holds no bounds. Weisman's chatty text mixes a number of themes--homesickness, responsibility, importance of cultural roots and myths-- and while her need to educate borders on the didactic, her story is appealing. Luminescent artwork captures both Rama's warm memoires of home and the new challenge of life in the city. Intense, mesmerizing colors are softened by an abundance of earth tones, suggestive of paintings on terra-cotta. A final word on the Pueblo storytelling doll adds depth. Ages 5-8. (Oct.)