FOUR SEASONS OF CORN: A Winnebago Tradition

A congenial mix of reportage--marred by disorganization--on the cultivation of corn and its importance in American Indian traditions. After a somewhat disjointed, irrelevant preface, Hunter portrays a family that upholds the traditions of the Winnebago Indians throughout the harvest and preparation of flint corn--multicolored ""Indian corn."" A thoroughly modern 12-year-old, Russell, straddles two worlds, and benefits from both; in fact, all the children's lives are intriguingly integrated between city living in St. Paul, Minnesota, and their activities in the country, from their farm labors to the tribal activities such as the ceremonial dance celebrating the harvest. The text does not progress smoothly from topic to topic and is sometimes repetitious; Hunter writes about Russell in the third-person, and, by referring to herself in the full-color photographs as ""Russell's grandmother,"" unnecessarily distances herself from the narrative. However, the abundant photographs assist greatly in providing a window onto the subjects' lives, well-chosen and framed to capture and glorify the subject.