Children of the Sun

ISBN 0316128481 - Every now and then, there's a book in the piles of books that surprises me in the best possible way. Children of the Sun certainly didn't look like one of those books, but those books never LOOK like those books. I don't think I've been this pleasantly surprised in some time. When he was young, Sun liked to play, flying among the rafters that hold up the sky, teasing Wind and generally being a bit wild. When his antics cause crops to fail, the people ask the Great Spirit to do something about it. Sun is summoned, stripped of his wings and told to behave. For some time, Sun does behave, until one day, when he spots the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. Unable to resist, he leaves his daily path and holds her, despite her fright. Soon, Tihona learns that she will be giving birth to twins. When the boys are born, Tihona names them Pia and Makunaima and the brothers quickly begin displaying distinct personalities. Soon, the Great Spirit calls for them to do his bidding, which begins with a simple question: "Do you want to be great men, or good men?" The brothers are sent to wander the world and ponder this question. Finally, without an answer, the boys return to their mother where Pia mistakenly kills his brother. Pia goes to Sun for help, and Makunaima is given a second chance at life, which isn't treated with the appreciation you'd expect. Pia, however, finally knows the answer to the question the Great Spirit asked and he returns to the world to do good, promising to return to his father's house once he has finished. The first, most obvious outward thing you'll notice is that the main characters are black. There aren't enough children's books that feature black characters, so that's a plus. The book is told in much the same sort of way old Native American tales, old African tales, even ancient myths are told, with a formality and a certain recognizable cadence. That makes it even more unusual, and an even bigger plus, that the characters are black because mythology is one place that there isn't, generally, a lot of racial diversity. The story itself, and author Jan Carew, gets credit from me for being unique among the childrens' books I've read recently. I don't know the age group that the book is intended for and have to think younger ones might not be ready for a story where one brother kills another, no matter how well-written. Illustrators Leo and Diane Dillon's work is wonderful. The images vary, some colorful, some just shades of brown, some plain, some detailed. This more than made up for the only flaw I could find - on the cover and on several pages inside the book, people's eyes are weird. No pupils, no whites, just color. It's a bit creepy. - AnnaLovesBooks