Beaver Steals Fire is a winner of the American Indian Youth Award. This book is one of the five parts of a fire-education project sponsored by the Salish and Kootenai tribes.

My first comment about this book is an objection to classifying it as a children's picture book. This is one of the most beautiful books to be had. The pages have a muted background coloring that looks like buckskin, clay or some of the mesas in Arizona. So before you add the illustrations and words, you already have a gorgeous beginning. It would be a knockout journal if left blank! When you do add the breathtaking artwork, done in earth tones and lavishly detailed, you have a book of art that contains a cultural story.

In this ancient Salish story, long before the humans appeared, the keeper of the sky world, Curlew, had fire. The animals on Earth were cold and wanted the fire to keep them warm during the winter. They organized and chose a leader -- a story within the story -- and devised a plot to steal the fire from Curlew. But Curlew was a crafty one, with a few tricks up his own sleeve, such as his frog who could make rain fall on the Earth and put the fire out.

Germaine White states in the acknowledgments that they have tried to "remain faithful to our elders in our interpretation." It is an exciting story that has the tone of the oral traditions. It reads almost like a spoken story and has a fast-paced, high level of emotion, tension and drama. It is well-written in all regards.

The Salish and Pend d'Oreille Committee have added "A Note to the Reader" that explains their tradition of telling stories only during the winter, and they request that persons reading the story aloud do so only between November and March -- to enjoy that aspect of their culture. There is also "A Note to Teachers & Parents" that explains about the importance of fire in maintaining the environment, how the natives utilized fire management and why it is crucial that this be restored. They have included a page about the Fire History Project.

The book concludes with "A Brief Guide to Written Salish & the International Phonetic Alphabet" by Shirley Trahan, Salish-Pend d'Oreille Culture Committee language specialist.

Johnny Arlee, a Salish elder, is the cultural adviser for the Salish and Kootenai Tribal Health Department. He has long been a cultural preservationist. He is an actor and has worked as technical adviser and scripting consultant for several movies, including Jeremiah Johnson. His other books are Coyote Stories of the Montana Salish Indians, Mali Npnaqs: The Story of a Mean Little Old Lady and Over a Century of Moving to the Drum: The Salish Powwow Tradition on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

The artist, Sam Sandoval, lives near Dixon, Montana, and does his artwork on the Flathead Indian Reservation. He has been an artist all of his life and attended the Institute of American Indian Art. He is a media specialist for the Salish and Kootenai Tribal Preservation Department.

Beaver Steals Fire is a book that you will be proud to display. It is the type that makes you want to put it under glass. It is a story that has universal appeal and a strong message about the importance of fire to all people. It is also a practical educational tool. I loved every page of it.

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