DIDANE THE KOALA THE GOORI GOORI BIRD

Two folk tales from Australia, each ""from a legend of the Bidjara People of the Upper Warrego."" In Didane, aborigines and kangaroos agree to bring life to their arid land by knocking down the seeds of the trees in the sky; only the giant koala throws his boomerang far enough to bring down the seed for the first trees in the ruggedly beautiful Carnarvon mountains. The evil Goori Goori Bird devours unwary children till one escapes and leads his people to the nest, which they set on fire; the escaping bird leaves a trail of sparks to form the Milky Way. Each tale is told concisely but gracefully. The splendid watercolor illustrations convey the drama of the stories and of the remote land where they take place; skillfully painted, they vividly capture panoramic landscape, aborigine and beast. Fine additions to our limited store of information about the world ""down under.