School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-In this retelling of a West Coast First Nations' myth, a young woman tells her friends that bears are ugly, filthy, dumb animals. The Chief of the Bear People wants to punish her, but his nephew asks for her as his wife. From Mouse Woman she learns that bears can transform into humans and then into bears again. Her bear husband is kind to her, and the seasons pass swiftly. When her brothers hunt for her, her husband takes her up into the snow-covered mountains where she gives birth to twins with human faces and bear cub bodies. Rather than harming her brothers when they come to the mountains, her husband allows himself to be killed, asking only that the young woman sing his death song and teach her people to respect the bears. Unhappy among her own people, she is finally able to transform herself and her children into bears and return to the wilderness. Atanas's exquisite watercolor illustrations capture the natural beauty of the Pacific Coast and the distinctive culture of the First Nations people. A wordless spread of three bears in a grassy meadow with mist-hung mountains in the distance helps readers appreciate the young woman's two transformations-mentally respecting the animal kingdom and physically becoming a bear. This is a welcome addition to units on Native American cultures.-Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
An arrogant girl disrespects the animal world and becomes part of it in this traditional First Nations tale, retold by James. After showing her disdain for bears, the unnamed protagonist encounters the nephew of the Chief of the Bear People, a group of human-bear shapeshifters. Forced into marriage with him, she contents herself with her new life, although her brothers' search for her threatens this fragile relationship. Seeking shelter from them in a cave, the young woman gives birth to twins sharing human and animal characteristics. Although her husband has been kind, when she sees her brothers she alerts them, and her husband must sacrifice himself to avert a bloody confrontation. Never fully adapting back to her human surroundings, the woman and her children instead transform into bears, free to roam. Despite a few narrative stumbles, this is a memorable examination of the interdependence between humans and their environment. Atanas's illustrations are strongest when the raw Pacific landscape spreads across the page, celebrating sky, land and sea. (author's note) (Picture book/folktale. 6-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
