BUFFALO DAYS

Hoyt-Goldsmith and Migdale (the team behind Celebrating Kwanzaa, 1993, etc.) offer a portrait of a young Crow Indian boy—Clarence Three Irons, Jr., a.k.a. Indian—living in Lodge Grass, Montana. Indian's father raises cattle and horses, and manages the Crow buffalo herd. The buffalo has always been a critical element in Crow culture and the herd's return from near- extinction is an important link for the Crow with their past. The ways in which the Crow have preserved and extended their cultural heritage is Hoyt-Goldsmith's focus, including the annual round-up reflecting the grand buffalo days—the fair and rodeo offering a chance to build and camp in tipis, don ceremonial garb, and attend to sacred dances. Clarence's is a fascinating life, and the only drawback to this book—which is studded with sharp full- color photographs—are the occasional lapses into wooden prose. On the whole, though, this is an evocative depiction. (maps, glossary, index) (Picture book/nonfiction. 8-12)