COYOTE MAKES MAN

British author Sage (The Little Band, 1991) teams up with newcomer Teckentrup for an amusing interpretation of a Native American creation myth which successfully telescopes many variant versions (fully sourced on the copyright page) into a coherent and captivating whole. When Coyote decides to make man he asks each animal in turn for advice. Not surprisingly, each animal suggests his own singular image as the ideal for the new creature. A slyly humorous and well- paced plot finds Coyote ultimately combining all the positive attributes the animals suggest, including ``a voice to speak and sing with, and a heart for courage,'' in his model for the first human. Most children will be as satisfied as the animals who assert: ``Now the world is perfect,'' although some will appreciate the irony of the last line: ``Only Coyote wasn't so sure.'' Teckentrup's illustrations recall Eric Carle's, although her compositions are appropriately more detailed. Handsome, textured painted paper collages in a southwestern palette give the images of the swift narrative credence. (Picture book/folklore. 4-8)