There are two principal levels of social interest in "The Woman Who Loved a Bear."

One is the matter of Native American culture, as represented in its folk tales. Modern writers have been taking advantage of the variety and colorfulness of Native American folklore for at least a century, and modernizations of Native American tales appear in many books for young readers.

The issue these modernizations raise is similar to one Yolen raises in her article "America's Cinderella" (Children's Literature in Education 8 (1977): 21-29). In the article, she finds fault with modernizations of the Cinderella story in which an originally tough, strong young woman is made weak and silly. In "The Woman Who Loved a Bear," she adds the modern perspective of a youngster listening to a tale told by his grandfather, which seems to be an effort on her part to invite modern readers, through the...