|
"In summertime, when school is out and his parents are busy at the loom and in the garden, it's Ben's job to take care of their sheep. The young Navaho boy and his two dogs take the herd through canyons and across a mesa to "a secret spring: the place where green grass grows." This quiet story of a young child's responsibility is told in a few well-chosen words. Ben's ethnicity is not pointed out, but his life style, including the Navaho words he counts with, is shared with readers. Equally allusive are the impressionistic paintings, which capture the rugged grandeur of the Southwest canyon country. The shifting moods of shadow and sunlight; canyon and mesa; and cool morning, hot noon, and velvet night are all skillfully brought to life. So, too, are the ruins of an ancient village and the rock paintings nearby. This little jewel of a book provides a unique aesthetic experience that is as true to its culture and place as it is to the universal satisfaction of a job well done." Shool Library Journal
|
