ON THE ROAD OF STARS

How gratifying to have one of Bierhorst's peerless anthologies in picture-book format: 50-odd lullabies, night songs, and prayers of peoples from the Arctic to Paraguay, arranged in thematic groups showing how various cultures have celebrated the beauty and mystery of sunset, the heavenly bodies, night creatures, and the sacred darkness in which the Creator moves. Decorations, calligraphy, and mixed-media illustrations are in a variety of styles, some apparently inspired by Native American art; most arresting are a dramatically shadowed jacket illustration of a fox, the beavers encircling the title page, and a deep blue painting of a baby peacefully asleep on the back of a giant tortoise swimming through the stars. A book to place with The Trees Stand Shining (edited by Hettie Jones, 1993) in poetry and Native American collections. Kudos for the list of sources, noted in very abbreviated form but commendably legible. List of tribes and cultures. (Folklore/Picture book. 6+)