ADOPTED BY INDIANS

Margolin (Native Ways, 1996, etc.) adapts for children some of the material in Indian Summer (1993, not reviewed), but does not make it accessible to a younger audience. At the age of 82, Mayfield told his story to a school teacher and historian. His father fought in the War of 1812; Mayfield, born 30 years later, lost his mother at a young age and went to live with the Choinumne Indians, who doted upon him. Running parallel to the history of the Gold Rush and the settling of the San Joaquin Valley in California, the story describes how the Indians lived, their customs, the food, hunting, and the character of the people. These are the remembrances of an adult who does not often speak from the perspective of childhood. The details of clothing, food, etc., have not been woven into an interesting narrative, and Mayfield's personality rarely emerges. Amateurish and inadequate, the illustrations are badly drawn, whether showing equipment, people, or animals, and the compositions are clichÇd, with strategically placed items to cover women's breasts. (maps, glossary) (Nonfiction. 10-13)