Berry Song
A lush, gorgeously illustrated picture book set “on an island at the edge of a wide, wild sea” celebrates a Tlingit grandmother teaching her granddaughter “how to live on the land.” In and near the water, the pair gathers herring eggs, seaweed, and salmon. And in the forest, there is a bounty of berries. Set off by cursive font, a rhythmic list of berries is interspersed with the main narrative. “Salmonberry, cloudberry, blueberry, nagoonberry. Huckleberry, soapberry, strawberry, crowberry.” As the land sings to them and sustains them, grandmother and granddaughter sing their gratitude to the land and forest and ocean. As the land cares for them, they, in turn, care for it. They hear the voices of their ancestors and answer in song and their Native language. And, on a page with artwork showing environmental protest art and music, the girl and her grandmother “sing for the future, / so that all will hear / and all will know / this beautiful berry song.” Back home at the end of the day, the grandmother and granddaughter join their family to create a colorful spread of pastries, desserts, and jams from the berries they have gathered. Soft, dreamy watercolor and mixed-media illustrations are a feast for the eyes in a story of familial love and the passing on of Indigenous knowledge. ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Michaela Goade
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 3-7
Age Range:
Babies/Toddlers (birth – 3)
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
First/Native Nations
Food and Cooking
Grandmothers
Gratitude
Nature/Environment
Plants and Trees
Tlingit People
Diversity subject:
Indigenous
Publisher:
Little, Brown
Publish Year: 2022
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9780316494175
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Goade