Rez Kid, written by Andrea Landry and illustrated by Isabella Fassler. Kids Can Press, 2025. $21.99 ages 6 and up

"The air feels cooler now. I look at our garden, 
which I helped plant after the last snow melted. 
We pull out carrots, potatoes, and beets. I smell
the earth as I dig. It smells like home. 
I tell my story once more. 
"Why don't you share our harvest? Show them 
how to be generous." 
"I'll come up with my own idea!""

The girl who narrates this story of Indigenous culture is often taunted on her school bus ride home. They call her Rez Kid, and it hurts. It makes her long for being home at the end of each school day. As the bus crosses the railroad tracks, she is finally back on the rez. 

She shares her sorrow and tears with her mom as she beads at the family table. Mom wonders if the girl might make some beaded flowers for the kids at school to show them kindness. The girl wants to think of something to do on her own. Next she visits her Nohkom. Together, they set out to collect medicine from the fields nearby. Nohkom suggests taking some of the medicines they have collected to teach her classmates about them.  Once again, the child wants to figure it out on her own. 

The same thing happens when she stops to see her Moshum. As they ride their horses to the creek, he suggests that she show them the confidence she feels. It's still not quite right. After tea, she and her aunty go out to harvest some garden vegetables. Could she share their harvest? Not yet ready to let someone else deal with her problem, the girl makes her way back home. As she sleeps, she remembers her moshum advising her to find a soft part in each of the school kids. 

In the morning, she uses all the advice given by those who love her and shares life on the rez with the kids on the bus. She invites to come home with her on Friday. 

"I show them the home of my ancestors. 

The home of my family. 

I show them the beads, 
the medicines, 

the horses, 

the vegetables from my aunty's garden. 
My home."

The traditional ways of reserve life for Indigenous people are celebrated by the young narrator and has learning and kindness at its heart. The girl's pride and confidence allow for her to offer the invitation that she knows will help her school friends understand what is so special about her home. Ms. Fassler's exceptional artwork highlights the natural surroundings and cutural traditions in bold colors that also enhance the learning.