Green Snake Ceremony (Greyfeather Series)

"An excellent, well-illustrated look at a contemporary Shawnee custom. As four-year-old Mary Greyfeather gets ready to go fishing, her grandfather suggests that it is time to prepare for her green snake ceremony. Afraid of snakes, the girl is not at all sure that she wants to hold one in her mouth in order to gain strength and good luck. When the green snake living under the porch overhears this conversation, he is equally reluctant to end up in a human's mouth…The soft tones of the cartoonlike illustrations enhance the gentle humor of the story." — School Library Journal