Kirkus Review

The tides ebb and flow because--""not in my time, not in your time, but in the old time, when the earth and sea were new""--a stubborn old woman who had no hut took the rock from the hole in the bottom of the sea. The old woman takes this world-shaking step because the Sky-Spirit is too busy to answer her request for a hut; and she finally agrees to a part-time return of the stone after acquiring, as a result of her action, a Little Dog for a pet, a Young Maiden for a daughter, and a Young Man (who will build her a hut) for a son-in-law. Rhythmic telling, dramatic structure, and some unobtrusive psychological ballast make this a reasonable story-hour choice. Marc Brown puts on his Serious hat for this job and plays up the elemental agitation, but too often his swirling eddies are showy rather than awesome. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.