This story begins long ago when a Grandfather carves a turtle from a rock to be the eyes of Manitou. The turtle watches as his people, the Delaware, prosper and grow. He watches new people arrive, people who change the earth, eventually polluting the water, the air, even the stone upon which the turtle rests. The turtle becomes blinded and forgotten until an anthropologist recognizes him under the graffiti and places him in the New York Botanical Garden where children once again hear him. The narrative voice is reserved and contemplative, which enhances the Native American flavor of the story, but underplays the drama of the events. Moser's watercolor illustrations provide much of the drama the text lacks. His portraits of the old man carving the stone or the teenagers spray-painting the rock convey an immediacy and provide a visual connection with the people and their time. Unfortunately, the stone turtle's story, fabricated from fact, myth, and vision, is weighed down by its obvious message. And as wonderful as the message is, it's likely to appeal only to concerned adults who use it to teach children to respect the environment and the Native American people. --Karen K. Radtke, Milwaukee Public Library Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.