These stories are based on Pueblo Indian legends collected by the author over a ten-year period. Most of the stories were told to her in Tewa, the Pueblo language she learned while working in her family-owned trading post, the San Juan Mercantile at the San Juan Pueblo. Being at the Pueblo gave her the opportunity to become familiar with Indian customs, rites and beliefs. Teresa (VanEtten) Pijoan was raised on the San Juan Pueblo Indian Reservation in New Mexico and later her family moved to the Nambe Indian Reservation. She is a national lecturer, storyteller, research writer, college professor, and teacher. She has lectured throughout Central Europe, Mexico, and the United States. "Booklist" reported: "This addition to an excellent series of books about Native American culture and people presents new renderings of traditional Indian folktales... These stories of imagination, of creativity, and of morality will strike a deep and resonant chord within readers of folktales and native American legendry."