Forever Our Home / kâkikê kîkinaw (Cree and English Edition)

Forever Our Home / kâkikê kîkinaw (Cree and English Edition)

★ “This solemn and serene volume should be considered a first purchase. Essential for most collections, and with its wildlife-centric art, it’s also a perfect read-aloud for Earth Day.”― School Library Journal , starred review A lullaby of reconciliation and reclamation, celebrating the ancestral relationship between Indigenous children and the land that is forever their home. Under glowing morning sun and silvery winter moon, from speckled frogs croaking in spring to summer fields painted with fireweed, this meditative lullaby introduces little ones to the plants and animals of the Prairies and the Plains. Written in both Plains Cree and English and featuring stunning artwork by celebrated artist Carla Joseph, Forever Our Home / kâkikê kîkinaw is a beautiful and gentle song about our spiritual connection to the land. PreS-K—Simpson's debut picture book, written in both English and Plains Cree, is a tribute to her homeland in the prairies and plains. Adapted from a lullaby she wrote for her newborn son, the lyrical text highlights the wildlife of the area while affirming her family's ancestral place in the land. "My sweet, beautiful child," she writes, "home is where the hawks hunt and the foxes run wild. This, my love, is where you are from." Simultaneously, Joseph's vivid spreads center the plants and animals of the area as the most visually important elements on the page, with the family frequently pictured as passing through in the distance, or on some pages absent entirely. It's a lovely reminder that our homelands belonged to so many more before us. With a continuing dearth of Indigenous voices, this solemn and serene volume should be considered a first purchase. VERDICT Essential for most collections, and with its wildlife-centric art, it's also a perfect read-aloud for Earth Day.—Lindsay Loup ★“This solemn and serene volume should be considered a first purchase. Essential for most collections, and with its wildlife-centric art, it’s also a perfect read-aloud for Earth Day.” ― School Library Journal, starred review “Extends its essence to all Indigenous children...Depicts expanses of breathtakingly beautiful landscapes in all the seasons.” ― Booklist "A tender hymn to the prairie in all seasons...Uplifting and joyous." ― Kirkus Reviews “Simple yet profound…This picture book is a celebration of a Native people’s journey and the interconnection we all have with the natural world that surrounds us.” ― Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD) Where the morning sun glows and the tiger lily grows...this, my baby, is our home. Tonya Simpson  is a member of Pasqua First Nation and resides in Pigeon Lake, Alberta with her husband and two children. Tonya works full-time as an anthropologist and loves to explore through storytelling what it means to be human in a changing landscape. Her writing focuses on connections between people, the land and ancestors. She is the author of  Forever Our Home  and  This Land Is a Lullaby , which celebrate the sights and sounds of the Prairies and the Plains. Carla Joseph is a Cree artist originally from Prince George, British Columbia. In 2016 Carla was the Artist in Residence for the Prince George Community Arts Council, and she has done design work for several organizations, including the Aboriginal Head Start Association of British Columbia, Northern Health and the First Nations Health Authority. Carla loves the way she makes people feel with her art. It inspires her to continue with her gift, and she loves to challenge herself by taking on many different types of projects, many of which can be seen around her community. She is also the illustrator of Be a Good Ancestor . Carla lives in Chilliwack, British Columbia.