In the days before horses, the people had to walk everywhere, even when they were hunting buffalo. When Lone Warrior injures his ankle on such a hunt, he is left behind by the rest of the hunting party who promise to return in a few days. Months pass and they never return, nor does Lone Warrior's ankle heal. But his struggle to survive is eventually rewarded one night when he is visited by the spirit of an ancestor who has an explanation for everything that has happened. This fine retelling of an Arapaho legend is accompanied by full-color paintings by a Mohawk artist. (Ages 5-9)

Crippled in an accident and left behind by his hunting party, Lone Warrior must overcome hunger, cold, pain, and despair to survive. But most terrifying of all his trials is the appearance of a skeleton-ghost arisen from the grave. That Lone Warrior can still remember to express his gratitude to the animal he must kill to survive, and that he does not allow fear to diminish his dignity, makes him an ideal hero.