LACROSSE

Three generations of lacrosse players are featured in this handsome title that discusses lacrosse as a game, a sport, and an integral part of Iroquois culture. Collaborators Hoyt-Goldsmith and Migdale (Buffalo Days, 1997, etc.) introduce a contemporary young lacrosse player from upstate New York and describe the equipment, playing field, moves, and rules of modern lacrosse. The author also takes readers back to the beginnings of the game, describing the early Iroquois Confederacy, its government and organization, explaining that “lacrosse was a medicine game played for the well-being of the players, other individuals and the nation. The Iroquois also played in bad times, to cure or prevent disease, or to lift the hearts of the people.” She provides a history of early lacrosse as a sport in Canada and as an international game, the making of a traditional lacrosse stick, and a new version called box lacrosse. The author conveys her empathy for the Iroquois and the people of the Onondaga Nation, as well as a great deal of information, with an economy of words. The full-color photographs are appealing and well-placed, extending and enhancing the text. (glossary, index) (Picture book/nonfiction. 8-12)