Chal To Yinilo / Frog Brings Rain

As fire creeps toward the village of the First People, First Man and First Woman must find a way to quench the flames. First Woman asks the Bird People, the River People, and the Water People for assistance, but everyone she speaks to has an excuse. Not me, said Mockingbird. The smoke would hurt my voice and I would never sing again. Not me, said Snail. I carry my house with me and I am slow. No, said Beaver. We'd like to help, but our river home would become a desert if we changed the flow of water. At last, First Woman asks the mysterious Frog for help. Will he be able to stop the flames before they reach the village? Author Patricia Hruby Powell's retelling of this Navajo folktale is as graceful as it is compelling, and Kendrick Benally's bright, folk-inspired contemporary paintings are as magical as the mythical time the story describes. Enter the village of the First People . and become a part of the time when the world was new.

Patricia Hruby Powell came to writing via a circuitous route. Before becoming an author, she danced throughout Europe and the Americas, performed as a trapeze artist, worked in lithography, and as a librarian. Now Patricia tells stories throughout the United States, and accents her tales for all ages with dance, world percussion instruments, and life-like animal sounds. In the course of her career she has received numerous awards and fellowships for her choreography and storytelling. Her first book is Blossom Tales: Flower Stories of Many Folk. Her first book with Salina Bookshelf is Zinnia: How the Corn Was Saved. Patricia travels to schools around the nation to tell stories and encourage students to write and read. She currently lives in Champaign, IL. Visit her website, www.talesforallages.com