CCBC Booklists

CCBC Review:

“Traditions stitch together generations with love.” Tatiana needs a ribbon skirt for her little cousin’s naming ceremony. Nookomis measures her and Tatiana falls asleep to the sound of Nookomis’s sewing machine. “In the morning, on my bed is a beautiful ribbon skirt … It fits my waist just right. It touches my ankles when I twirl.” Nookomis tells her, “My granddaughter, live a good life.” And Tatiana answers, “Eya.” Over the coming years, Tatiana grows taller and Nookomis grows shorter. One year, Tatiana needs a new ribbon skirt for Fall Ceremony. Nookomis measures her and Tatiana falls asleep to the sound of the sewing machine, waking up to a ribbon skirt that “fits my waist just right. It touches my ankles when I twirl.” Nookomis tells her to live a good life. “Eya,” Tatiana replies. Events repeat again the year Tatiana needs a new ribbon skirt to celebrate her auntie’s judgeship, and again a few years later, at the time of Tatiana’s naming ceremony. The brilliant use of repetition in both the telling and structure of this story beautifully embodies the importance of ritual and tradition in Tatiana’s Ojibwe family and culture. Ojibwe language is incorporated throughout, as are rich details full of child appeal. The narrative is set against illustrations brimming with color and warmth. ©2025 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-8
Age Range: PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7) Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: Aging Bilingual Books Clothing Dance and Dancers First/Native Nations Grandmothers Ojibwe Language Ojibwe People Sewing and Quilting Traditions
Diversity subject: Indigenous
On CCBC Booklist: Custodians of Wonder: Books About Intergenerational Connections 

Publishers: HarperCollins, Heartdrum
Publish Year: 2024
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9780063218680
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Rendon

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