Book excerpt: Sparrow is a young Indian boy who lives in a small village near a lake. One day he decided that he would like to visit his cousin, Running Bear, who lived in the city. After obtaining permission from his parents and the chief of the tribe, he boarded a bus for the city. When he arrived he was shocked to see how the people had such little regard for their environment, marking up buildings and throwing refuse on the ground with vehicles that burped soot into the air. He soon tired of the conditions there and returned home, happy to breathe clean air, free of smog and the noise of the city.