"I Sang You Down From the Stars" - a bookwrap

 

Featuring

A love letter from an Indigenous mother to her new baby

Unwrapping

I Sang You Down from the Stars

Book by Tasha Spillett-Sumner

Illustrated by Michaela Goade

Specs

* Ages:  All Ages

*Length:  32 pages

* Publisher:  Owlkids Books Inc. 

* Pub. Date: April 15, 2021

* Language:  English

Unwrapping Some Illustrations for You

The Book

This story is from Indigenous creation stories and is truly a beautiful tale.  The heartwarming words nestle in stunning, magical illustrations that weave a spiritual aura when read.  The pictures are created with watercolours and are rich, meaningful and full of detail. 

An expectant mother gathers a sacred bundle of gifts for her newborn's birth.  She includes a white feather, cedar and sage, a gorgeous hand-made quilt that she lovingly stitches together, and a small stone from the river. The items she adds will offer the little one strength and connection to tradition, family and community.  

Her mother's heart is overflowing with love for her child as the baby is welcomed into the world and that joy is magnified even more when the extended family comes to meet their newest member.  The unleashed happiness and sacredness of the event all revolves around that precious baby bundle.  I love this story and the illustrations.  It is highly, highly recommended not only to read to your own child but to give as a gift.  Very well done!  

Storywraps Rating -  5 HUGS!

Meet the Author

TASHA SPILLETT-SUMNER is a Cree and Trinidadian award-winning poet and author who is also working on her doctoral degree in Indigenous land–based education. She makes her home in Treaty 1 territory, Manitoba, where she raises her daughter, Isabella, with her husband. MICHAELA GOADE is a Tlingit award-winning illustrator. She grew up in the rain forests and on the beaches of Juneau, Alaska, and still makes her home on traditional Tlingit territory today. She is the illustrator of recent picture books We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, Encounter by Brittany Luby, and Shanyaak’utlaax: Salmon Boy, winner of the 2018 American Indian Youth Literature Best Picture Book Award.

About the Illustrator

Michaela Goade is the 2021 Caldecott Medal winning illustrator of “We Are Water Protectors,” also a 2020 Kirkus Prize Finalist, and other books such as “Encounter,”  and “Shanyaak’utlaax: Salmon Boy,” winner of the 2018 American Indian Youth Literature Award for Best Picture Book.

Over the last few years, Michaela’s work has focused on Indigenous KidLit. She is honored to work with Indigenous authors and tribal organizations in the creation of beautiful and much-needed books. An enrolled member of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Michaela’s Tlingit name is Sheit.een and she is of the Kiks.ádi Clan (Raven/Frog) from Sheet’ká.

“Following the artist path has enabled me to reconnect with my culture, a true gift that has become both an anchor and a north star. It’s been an incredibly enriching experience and I’ll keep learning and working to honor the culture and tribe.”

Michaela was raised in the rainforest and on the beaches of Southeast Alaska, traditional Lingít Aaní (Tlingit land). Today she lives in Sheet’ká (Sitka), Alaska, a magical island on the edge of the wide, wild sea.

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