The Great Ball Game of the Birds and Animals (Grandmother Stories)
PreSchool-Grade 3-In this Cherokee tale, the animals challenge the birds to a game of stickball. They won't allow two tiny creatures to take part, so the birds accept them and make wings for them. One becomes Bat, and the other becomes Flying Squirrel. Stilted writing and poor plot development mar what could be an engaging story. The introduction of the two little outcasts is jarring and initially confusing, and it's never clear why these characters are playing stickball in the first place. Containing animals dressed in Native regalia, and thereby unintentionally denying Native people their basic humanity, the black-and-white illustrations are static and very dark. It's easier to find Waldo than the two tiny creatures. No source is cited for this tale, and no pronunciation guide for Native names is provided. For a similar story from the Muskogee tradition, try Joseph Bruchac's The Great Ball Game (Dial, 1994), which has superior writing and art.S K Joiner, Brazoria County Library System, Angleton, TXCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.