Review by Booklist Review
An Indigenous child is lulled to sleep by the sights and sounds of a summer evening on the Plains. In warm, soothing language, a mother speaks to her infant, poetically describing their ancestral surroundings and reflecting on traditional Cree knowledge: "This land is a lullaby your heart already knows. / You carry the song from a lifetime ago. / It flows in your blood and echoes in your soul." Simpson's (Pasqua First Nation) lyrical text sings with resonance and meaning. During the "twilight serenade," owls hoot, coyotes howl, and thunder drums. As the "midnight melody" progresses, spirits dance in the night sky and watch over the slumbering child. Luxuriantly alive with glowing colors and textured patterns, Dumont's (Onion Lake Cree Nation) exquisite pointillist illustrations resemble three-dimensional beadwork. There's movement, connection, and reciprocity in the intricate nature scenes, such as the tranquil nighttime image of a loon swimming on a shimmering lake, looking up to the sky, "trading holy secrets with Grandmother Moon." This eloquent and insightful picture book, also available as a bilingual title with Plains Cree translation, honors the enduring relationship between a child, their ancestors, and the land.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
