The Two-Legged Creature: An Otoe Story

Walters succinctly retells an Otoe legend set in a time when the world was ruled by animals. The animals speak the same language and ``live together in peace and happiness without argument and fear.'' Only one man dwells among them, and the creatures have taught him and watched over him. All has gone well, but Man begins to act ``differently''; he no longer follows the animals' advice, and is impolite and cruel to them. The creatures hold a meeting and decide that Man must live on his own. Only the dog and the horse elect to stand by him--to keep him company and be his friend. Walters's crisp, forthright narrative deftly distills this Native American tale, the essence of which young readers should grasp easily. Like the story they illustrate, Bowles's exquisite paintings are at once simple and sophisticated. Framed by intriguing borders, her art sumptuously depicts the beasts and the colors of the natural world in a remote era--when things were just starting to get complicated. Ages 5-up. (May)