THE DANCING FOX

A scholarly collection of traditional stories from the Inuit cultures of Alaska, Canada, and Greenland, expertly edited by Bierhorst (The Way of the Earth, 1994, etc.), who includes an extensive introduction to the Inuit, as well as thoroughly annotated notes on each story and a listing of references. Taken one at a time, especially in the context of a unit on the Inuit, the stories have the inherent interest of genuine artifacts; as a resource for booktalking and for classroom use, this volume is authentic and invaluable. Few children will want to read it cover to cover on their own; the stories, if diverting, are unembellished, and readers raised on the tidy endings of European folktales and the pithy morals of Aesop may find these selections brusque. (b&w illustrations, notes, bibliography) (Folklore. 10+)