"In the Native way of thinking, though, the plant people are as aware and as deserving of respect as are those livings beings that do not have roots--such as humans."

I'm thankful for the Native perspective on balance and respect of all things: nature, gender, familial. In this collection, from 18 Native nations of the Americas, the stories are organized by meaning, such as creation and survival. Each story begins with an illustration as well as the tribe from which it originates and the location of their traditional lands. Bruchac retells each story in a way that non-Native readers are able to understand and appreciate. Once again I'm in awe of the reverence and protection given to their stories; for instance, one of Bruchac's criteria for selecting stories was that it had to have already been published or public. He did not want to be the first one to take the story out of the oral tradition. Along with the stories, readers are gifted with a Glossary/Pronunciation Key as well as Tribal Nation Descriptions which include pronunciations too.

The only teeny nitpick would be that I wish the map showing the culture regions of the Native North American groups was a) larger and b) not squished into the spine/binding so the middle can't be read.

4 stars

These stories first appeared in Keepers of Life: Discovering Plants Through Native American Stories and Earth Activities for Children by Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac. ( )