Old Crow and His Friends: Animal Adventures Based Upon Indian Myths

This author has written attractive stories of Old Crow before and in this new book she offers as fine a collection of children's stories as one could wish for. These are stories which Indians related to their children years ago to the great delight of young and old. The originals are from authentic sources and the author relates in very simple yet clear and forceful language these old magic stories full of life and the great woods and out-of-doors. There are principal characters throughout the stories as "Rabbit the leader in all the mischief," "Otter with the finest coat of long, smooth, soft fur," "Grizzly Bear," "Old Crow," Coyote and many others. The chapters are short and each makes a nice little story in itself. There is great variation in the action of the stories and the exciting parts are written in a pleasing manner. Many very clever lessons are brought out as an explanation of nature's ways. Thus Fox is red to this very day because he was so ashamed when all the others laughed at him after he had tricked Eagle out of some eggs and Eagle had carried him away out to sea and left him on an island. Then, too, Otter lives in the water always because once upon a time, Rabbit, in order to steal Otter's coat for himself, threw hot coals in the air and shouted, "It's raining fire," then scampered off with the coat while poor Otter ran to the water to put out the hot coals. And so this book is full of just such interesting and fascinating tales which are always one of the child's greatest pleasures. The striking pictures by Charles Livingston Bull are a real feature of this book. Children who can read will find this a pleasing book and surely it is just the kind that mothers find especially helpful in guiding the young child's mind and answering the many questions. It is bound to keep a child interested at any time.

—The Nature-Study Review, Volume 15