The Return of the Buffaloes
Ages 5^-8. Goble, whose picture books includeBuffalo Woman(1984), retells another tale about the mysterious woman whose people are the buffalo. In this Lakota myth, spring arrives, but the buffalo do not return. The hunters come back empty-handed from each search, until two young brothers go out and find Buffalo Woman, who promises to send her people to the plains again. The buffalo herds soon thunder around the tepees of the hungry people, who give thanks to the mysterious woman. Goble's artwork shows his delight in color, pattern, silhouette, and Native American motifs. Besides the large paintings on the double-page spreads, he includes small geometric designs copied from traditional parfleches (rawhide pouches) of the Lakota, the Arapaho, and the Cheyenne. Two introductory pages concern parfleches (which appear in the story), including a page to photocopy, paint, cut, and fold into a model parfleche, a project that children and teachers may find worthwhile.Carolyn Phelan