An idealized picture of Sioux life that takes twelve-summers-old Little Bear through some prowess proving journeys in the company of his indulgent grandfather Great Bear. Together they decoy a Pawnee raiding party, hunt buffalo, track down a Crow horse thief- and finally Little Bear is awarded a roan colt by the warrior Flying Arrow. But while there is an abundance both of accurate description of nature- how to handle it skillfully, successfully,- and of smoothly delineated episodes- the writing here is dry and the Sioux are rather boringly endowed with all of the white man's virtues. A character builder though, and some of the narrow escapes are breathtaking.
