The Gift of the Little People: A Native American Indian Tale

To quote the Lovin' Spoonful, "do you believe in magic?" Little people--leprechauns, brownies, fairies, imps--seem to inhabit most folk cultures, and share similar traits: appease them with gifts and offerings and you're fine; stare at or otherwise cross them and you're in trouble. In this Native American Mohegan tale, beautifully rendered in clay animation, when white men clear the forests--throwing the natural order off balance--the Little People's elder woman becomes ill, spurring Weegan and his nephew Bent Feather to ask a human medicine woman to visit Granny Squannit's underground home to try and save her. Bent Feather provides comic relief, as he is still learning the Little People's shape-shifter craft (and usually gets it wrong), and the film features carefully detailed traditional Mohegan clothing, architecture, music and ritual. An environmental tale with a wide variety of curriculum and scouting applications, not to mention general enjoyment, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: E, I, P. (R. Reagan)