Long before the arrival of the first Europeans, the Lenni Lenape people lived near what is now northern New Jersey. Noble imagines what life was like for a 10-year-old boy, Walking Turtle, growing up at that time in his village above the Passaic River. Part of the Tales of the World series, this picture book weaves in cultural details through the boy’s personal narrative of how he cares for his disabled cousin, Little Talk, carrying him on his back along the river, through the mountains, and even to the Great Salt Sea. Then it is time for Walking Turtle to attend warrior school, and he worries about who will care for his cousin. Glowing, crackle-textured paintings show the bond between the two boys set against the landscape and customs of their community, including the dramatic Giving Thanks Ceremony in the Big House, when their leader tells them to be caretakers of their great land. A moving glimpse of what has been lost. A glossary and an author’s note conclude.