Native American Civilizations
Ancient Civilizations and Their Myths and Legends
A selection of myths from the various regions of North America are beautifully retold and illustrated in colorful scenes. The myths reflect people's lives and explain many tribal customs and rules of behavior. These aspects of Native American life and culture are explored using lifelike illustrations and factual texts. It includes sections on Native American tribes of the Northwest, Plateau and Basin, California, Northern forests, Plains, Southwest, and Eastern Woodlands. Some of the myths concern creation, the raven and the first human beings, coyote and wolf, the buffalo dance, the rain chant, the floating island, and the search for the corn sisters.
* Reviews *
Series Review: Ancient Civilizations and Their Myths and Legends"These books explore the fascinating world of myths and legends by alternating stories about gods, heroes, and cultural icons with social, economic, and political information on the societies from which they originated. The highpoint of the series are the mythology sections, which are composed of vibrant illustrations of key figures (Amun-Ra, in a section in Egyptian Civilization that describes his nightly journey), symbols (the Trojan horse in Greek Civilization), and events (the creation of the world in Native American Civilizations). All of them are fluidly narrated and placed on a black background from which the white text seems to pop. The consistency of this method allows for smooth transitions into the nonfiction, which is presented on a white background and is attended by captioned photos of various artifacts ranging from Roman jewelry to Chinese weapons. This series fills a need for quality materials that combine mythology and facts."
--Brian Odom, Pelham Public Library, AL, School Library Journal
