Mark Turners beautiful childrens book, A Winters Tale: How Raven Gave Light to the World, is a sensitive retelling of the Native American creation myth, of how Raven, transformed into a child, stole light from the mythical grandfather who held it as a treasure, and bestowed it upon a world encased in darkness. Shared among numerous Native American tribes, the Ravens trickery is well-known. However, what makes Turners contemporary narrative so compelling is the role the child plays in retrieving light from the loving metaphorical grandfather, the empowerment the child receives from that love, and how, transforming into the Raven, the child takes flight into a world that needed the penultimate gift: light itself.A Winters Tale is beautifully presented, with 33 wonderful full-color illustrations by Emily Graves and Mark Turners accompanying musical score on compact disc. Children will delight not only in the story retold but in the combined visual and auditory interpretations of the Raven myth.
Mark E. Turner is Associate Professor of Music at Stephen F. Austin State University, USA. Working and making music with children since 1983, he works closely with SFAs Early Childhood Lab and Elementary campus, creating innovative curricula for classroom professionals and early childhood/elementary music specialists, grounded on Gordons Music Learning theory and influenced by Reggio Emilia.
Emily Graves attends Stephen F. Austin State University where she is majoring in art.
