FIRESIDE TALES: More Lessons from the Animal People

Award-winning Native American storyteller Sickles effectively stammers, snorts and clicks as she portrays the various animal characters in these seven appealing fables. In the Kiowa Apache–Lakota oral tradition, creatures boastful, mean, proud and dishonest receive their comeuppance from fellow beasts, serving as examples for human listeners. Sickles has a soothing, mellifluous voice that she can quickly change to a rasp, growl or squeak to suit her dramatic intent. Children will infer much about Native peoples' attitude toward the "four-legs" as Fox learns to be kind to the goldfinches, wiggly Chipmunk unintentionally interrupts Bear's hibernation nap, the once-toothsome, lazy Frog satisfies an insatiable appetite for walnuts, and wolves become domesticated. A good amount of humor keeps the tales flowing, assuring that the mood never gets too moralistic. At satisfying intervals in between the stories, Micky Sickles performs six traditional Iroquois social songs, reinforcing the cultural authenticity. Ages 7-up. (May)