Old Father Storyteller

This is really an amazing book. Velarde's work is magnificent and worth seeing in person if you ever get the opportunity, and the vitality of her paintings comes right through in this volume. It is impossible to imagine the story without the art, or vice versa. The stories are beautifully recounted in a traditional style that is nonetheless easily accesible to readers who aren't at all familiar with the Tewa people. It's a great introduction to an oral literary tradition that most of us would never encounter otherwise--certainly not with so much beauty and attention to detail. I wish she had written more books, because this is one of the best storytime options I can think of--I remember being fascinated by it as a child, and it's still worth a very good read as an adult.