HOW WE SAW THE WORLD: NINE NATIVE STORIES OF THE WAY THINGS BEGAN C.J. Taylor Montréal, Tundra Books, 1993. 32pp, laminated boards, $17.95 ISBN 0-88776-3022. Distributed by University of Toronto Press. CIP Subject Headings: Indians of North America-Folklore. Creation-Folklore. Nature-Folklore. Grades 3-9 / Ages 8-14 Reviewed by Patricia Fry Volume 22 Number 2 1994 March/April All peoples create myths and legends to explain the miracle of the world around them. In this book, Taylor retells and paints nine creation myths from nine different tribes; her paintings concentrate each complete legend into a mural-like canvas. How We Saw the World differs from her four other books, each of which focuses on an individual legend. In this one, the individuals and the natural settings are supplemented by the religious significance of each story. In her introduction to the book, Taylor explains, "Our religion was everywhere around us. We saw the work of the Creator in everything: the sun, the moon, the wind, the ground, and in the animals and plants given us for food. We had, and still have, a daily sense of the Creator and we worship by showing love and respect for our Mother Earth" The legends explain the origin of Niagara Falls, of the islands of the Pacific Coast of butterflies, of horses, of tornadoes, and of forest fires. The reader also learns how winter was pushed back and why dogs are our best friends, and there is a very funny explanation of how owls and rabbits came to look the way they do. What has a beginning may have an end, and if our world must end, the final legend suggests what might cause it. On the last page, there is information about each of the nine tribes-- where and how they lived--that makes it easier to understand why each legend took the shape it did. It is worth noting that one of the paintings appears on the book cover itself. Taylor's books certainly supplement any unit of study on North American Native Peoples. In addition, her paintings can be used on their own in various aspects of the art curriculum. Highly recommended. Patricia Fry is a librarian at Erindale Secondary School, Peel Board of Education, in Mississauga, Ontario