Beardream

I've read this at night to my daughter many many times over the years, in a soft voice at a slow pace. It's a simple story about how the Ute Bear Dance came to be, and makes me want to go to Colorado to see it. Although the book is simple, it is a bit mysterious in a sometimes very slightly scary way, and held her attention always. (This is due also to the wonderful illustrations)

A story about a boy named Short Tail, who is afriad that Grandfather bear has not survived the winter. No one has seen the bear, and it is past springtime. So Short Tail decides to climb the mountain and see if the bear is still alive. When he gets there he sees that the bear is still sleeping. Short Tail wakes the bear, and the bear takes him to a special meeting place of the bears. While at this place, the bears dance to celebrate the ending of winter. Grandfather bear tells Short Tail to go back and show his people the dance so they can do it also. It is a good story about why the Natives dance.

This book displays the great respect for wildlife that Native Americans have. The telling of the Ute's relationship with the bears is an old tale that is presented well with this book. The beautiful paintings in the book reflect what is written in the pages with subtle dreamlike messages throughout. As an educator, this book will be an asset to my collection for my students.