Thomas Locker

Bruchac frames 11 legends of Native American sacred places with a conversation between Little Turtle and his uncle, Old Bear, who says, “There are sacred places all around us…They are found in the East and in the North, in the South and in the West, as well as Above, Below, and the place Within.”…The text is printed in stanzas, enhancing the image of prose poems.

To many Native Americans, the 13 cycles of the moon represent the changing seasons and the passage of time. Each moon has its own special name that, while varying among the tribal nations, is consistent with the legend that the 13 scales on Old Turtle’s back hold the key to these moons. The authors present 13 poems that take readers through the year, from the “Moon of Popping Trees” — when the “cottonwoods crack with frost” — to the “Big Moon” of the Abenakis. — Publishers Weekly