"Our ancestors wandered,
tools in hand -
sticks for digging,
knives for trimming,
baskets and slings and
bags made of skins -
gathering roots and leaves,
mushrooms and berries,
fruits, flowers,
nuts and seeds.
I read this lovely book when it arrived in the mail, and then I read it again. This morning as I prepare to tell you about it, I have just finished reading it one more time. Each read brings new thoughts and feelings for its message to young children.
Pairing her graceful words with the elegant colored pencils and watercolor artwork of Risa Hugo, Ms. Pendziwol tells her readers the story of how humans have always been able to forage for food that nourishes. She begins in ancient times when all food came from the wild. She explains how humans spend their time in nature wandering in search of what would sustain them: meat, birds, fish.
She then describes 'the quiet hunt' which took the people into forests and fields, rivers and creeks, and under the earth to find what else they were looking for: roots and leaves, mushrooms and berries, fruits and seeds. What they foraged had many uses and kept hunger away. Their knowledge of what was safe for consumption was passed from one generation to the next.
As they hunted, those looking for food left offerings to the wild for the bounty provided. Being in the wild to do their collecting provided them with sustenance for their souls. Today, things are quite different. Those who continue to quietly hunt are steeped in the knowledge passed along to them from those in the know; the people who advise on what is good and safe. The sounds and beauty felt outside on the quiet hunt continue to feed souls. What a celebration of our connection with nature.
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