TEXAS TRADITIONS

In a work subtitled ``The Culture of the Lone Star State,'' Turner (Faith Ringgold, 1993, etc.) makes clear that Texas is really the product of many cultures and looks at the contributions of Native Americans, Mexicans, Europeans, Anglo-Americans, African- Americans, and Asian-Americans as ``threads of a finely woven blanket'' that add ``beauty and interest to the whole.'' Turner succinctly limns each group's history, noting, for example, that by the time Europeans landed on Texas's shore in 1528, 12 Native American groups were already well established. She is not as generous, however, in tracing the long history of Mexico and Texas, stating simply that before Texas became a republic and a state, ``it was a part of Mexico.'' She later focuses on Texas's fight for independence from Mexico through the battles of the Alamo and at San Jacinto, and the ultimate triumph of the ``ideas, beliefs, and values of the Texas culture.'' There is no mention of the current cultural climate that sets her perspective against one that suggests the state's revolutionary leaders were land-grabbers. Children will be more interested in the full-color photographs and illustrations that make chapters on art, celebrations, and education visually exciting. They'll find this book useful for reports. (maps, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 9+)