"When I could walk, my mom sang to me:
You are the mountains, the hills are your relatives,
and Earth is our Mother.
My mom is like a valley. Her love protects me
like an evergreen canopy. She teaches me
to be gentle like a warm spring day."
In a foreword, Steph Littlebird gives readers information about her people and their culture. She explains what it means to be a "place keeper" for the earth. She hopes that her book will encourage all who read it to become more in tune with nature and their role in keeping it safe.
The narrator is a child who introduces family members, starting with her grandmother and her song concerning Indigenous traditions and connections to nature. She compares her grandmother to a flower. As she grows older, her grandfather compares her to water and teaches her to have courage. Once walking, her mom sings songs about the hills and mountains and about Mother Earth. Her dad compares her to the sky and calls her a shooting star. His warmth encourages her to dream big and shine like the sun. All these lessons allow her to teach her little sister by listening to her questions and loving her fiercely.
Her first powwow continues the lessons.
"You are the land, a part of all creation."
This is an affirming story of family connections and shared learning about the natural world. Its poetic tone and detailed artwork are filled with images of nature and Indigenous wisdom.
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