Author: Elaine J. Keller
A lot of people might pass up this book based on the cover but you really shouldn't. The artwork inside of the book is actually pretty beautiful. There were a few drawings that had me stop reading to look at the picture for a little bit. The art was not the only thing I liked about Tale of Running Bear. The story, while easy to read, was very thought provoking. The book has you reflecting on themes of the power of belief and how humans are harming wildlife and nature.
The actual text in the book is more geared towards an adult mind. There's actually something in it for adults to read this book. I actually like that the book is easy to read ans simple but also has a message for adults because we don't always have to read 300 pages of text (even wonderfully written text) to get something meaningful out of a story. In some places the text is not really suited for very little children though.
Children can read this book though. I would recommend that you read through the book first before letting your child read it because the book presents several themes that you might want to have a discussion with your child about. One such theme is the power of belief and how it can be used to create fear.
My favorite thing about this book, besides the art, is that it teaches about how nature is all around us and we should do more to respect and be kind to nature. Tale of Running Bear does not teach this in a condescending way though. Instead, this message of caring for nature is shared throughout the book in a very nice and meditative way. I also loved the message of universal love at the end. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.
For the price and the content I would easily give this a 5.
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