(3) 4-6 Illustrated by David Shannon. Music legend Robertson, of Mohawk and Cayuga heritage, retells an ancient story of the Great Peacemaker who, with the help of Hiawatha, unites five warring Iroquois nations. The story is quite dark and complex, as the chiefs struggle to overcome their anger at past violence. Shannon's dramatic paintings show the Peacemaker standing stoically, surrounded by chaos. A musical CD is included.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) 4-6 In a style reminiscent of oral storytelling, the author weaves the legend of the Confederacy of the Five Nations. At times, the dialogue and flow are stiff, and the dark colors in the illustrations sometimes make details difficult to see. A short chapter follows the legend offering historical background about the Iroquois nations and the particular events in the story.

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Margaret Early & Margaret Early. Carefully chosen excerpts from Longfellow's epic poem introduce readers to Hiawatha, his childhood, and some of his adventures. Most of the pages include one or two sentences of commentary that link the excerpts for readers. Handsome, bordered paintings rich with color and pattern complement each excerpt, although the art is more decorative than narrative. A historical note is appended.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Jeffrey Thompson. In this excerpt from The Song of Hiawatha, Hiawatha engages in battle with the evil magician Megissogwon and returns, victorious, to his people. Though modern readers will find the long, rhythmic text hard to sit through, the multimedia artwork is effective in combining different techniques to create the look of woodblock prints. An afterword by Joseph Bruchac places the poem in historical context.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute