FOREVER OUR HOME

A tender hymn to the prairie in all seasons.

Simpson (Cree/Pasqua First Nation) offers simple rhymes and gently rocking cadences in verse that extols the connection between a young child and the animals, plants, wind, and sky that comprise this landscape: “Where the morning sun glows / and the tiger lily grows // where the young bucks still roam, / this my baby is your home.” Light, full-bleed illustrations by Cree artist Joseph include close-ups of wild creatures—deer, foxes, horses, hawks, chickadees, frogs, an owl—along with landscapes that convey the feel of wind and sun in a prairie meadow. “Where fireweed paints the hills come summer / and eagles rule the sky // this is where your spirit can feel / your ancestors as they pass by.” Here the ancestors are depicted as translucent spirit faces like blossoms among the branches of a tree, while on the opposite page the outline of a child’s profile contains a crescent moon and starry night sky. On other pages eagles soar overhead, bright splashes of wildflowers and tamaracks dot grassland hills, coyotes howl in a snowy landscape, a brown-skinned family, cued as Indigenous, walks together, and children dance. This one is nicely pitched to the youngest of listeners: “The morning is so happy that you are here. / Its colors are a gift to you, my dear.” (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Uplifting and joyous.