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cweichel's review
4.0
This is the true story of Nokomis (Grandmother) Josephine Mandamin who began Mother Earth Water Walkers, a movement of women (and men), who walk to raise awareness of how precious water is to us.
Nokomis loved nibi (water) in all its iterations. Then an important elder asked her what she was doing to protect it.
Nokomis gathered her friends around her, and in 2003, they set out walking around the Great Lakes. A movement was begun. She herself has worn out three knees and eleven pairs of sneakers. In 2005 she walked almost 4,500,000 steps for water!
The story is told using Ojibwe vocabulary. At first this was disconcerting but I was mostly able to figure out the story without peeking into the glossary at the end of the book. The illustrations help to make the new vocabulary clear. I still went back and reread it a few times to check my interpretations.
The illustrations are bright and bold with stylized people and lots of colour. I love how Nokomis' love of nibi is captured in the first pages.
Later on the images reveal all the ways water is threatened; from individuals letting water run while brushing their teeth, to corporations spilling oil and dumping toxins into oceans.
My only wish is that the text was formatted differently. It is small and some pages are almost overwhelmed by it.
This is an important book to use during a unit on the hydrosphere with all ages of students. It pushes beyond basic understanding of the water cycle into its importance for our survival. At the same time as it introduces readers to cultural awareness of nibi, it directs students of all ages to think politically about water. Perhaps they can come up with their own powerful ways to answer the Ogimaa's question, What are you going to do about it?
Josephine Mandamin is an indigenous woman from Wikwemikong on Manitoulin Island. She now lives in Thunder Bay Ontario, Canada. Click below to find out more about Mother Earth Water Walkers.
http://www.motherearthwaterwalk.com/
Nokomis loved nibi (water) in all its iterations. Then an important elder asked her what she was doing to protect it.
Nokomis gathered her friends around her, and in 2003, they set out walking around the Great Lakes. A movement was begun. She herself has worn out three knees and eleven pairs of sneakers. In 2005 she walked almost 4,500,000 steps for water!
The story is told using Ojibwe vocabulary. At first this was disconcerting but I was mostly able to figure out the story without peeking into the glossary at the end of the book. The illustrations help to make the new vocabulary clear. I still went back and reread it a few times to check my interpretations.
The illustrations are bright and bold with stylized people and lots of colour. I love how Nokomis' love of nibi is captured in the first pages.
Later on the images reveal all the ways water is threatened; from individuals letting water run while brushing their teeth, to corporations spilling oil and dumping toxins into oceans.
My only wish is that the text was formatted differently. It is small and some pages are almost overwhelmed by it.
This is an important book to use during a unit on the hydrosphere with all ages of students. It pushes beyond basic understanding of the water cycle into its importance for our survival. At the same time as it introduces readers to cultural awareness of nibi, it directs students of all ages to think politically about water. Perhaps they can come up with their own powerful ways to answer the Ogimaa's question, What are you going to do about it?
Josephine Mandamin is an indigenous woman from Wikwemikong on Manitoulin Island. She now lives in Thunder Bay Ontario, Canada. Click below to find out more about Mother Earth Water Walkers.
http://www.motherearthwaterwalk.com/
etienne02's review against another edition
3.0
A story about nature and life. Text is always presented in English and in a first nation dialect. Interesting and well done for this kind of book, but a bit too long of a story for the targeted reader age in my opinion!
ashylibrarian's review
4.0
4/5 (physical book)
Walking. Praying. Hoping. Dreaming.
This story tells about protectors of water. It starts simple and slow, with minimal words on the page, accompanied by unique and beautiful illustrations. As the story and plot intensify, more words appear on the page and the illustrations get more chaotic.
The story of water. Told by its protectors.
Walking. Praying. Hoping. Dreaming.
This story tells about protectors of water. It starts simple and slow, with minimal words on the page, accompanied by unique and beautiful illustrations. As the story and plot intensify, more words appear on the page and the illustrations get more chaotic.
The story of water. Told by its protectors.
elizabethlk's review against another edition
5.0
I had heard good things about The Water Walker, but it was one of those few books that truly exceeded expectations for me (although I feel like I've been handing out more five stars than usual this year).
Joanne Robertson uses crisp language and vibrant illustrations to bring a true story to life for a young audience. This is a wonderful way to introduce multiple topics to children. It addresses the importance of water in our everyday lives, as well as the ways we can take care of water. It looks at real-world women as part of a larger activist movement. It looks at indigenous culture and activism in a unique light. There is a lot going on here, but it is presented so subtly as part of the larger picture of the story. I also thought the use of Ojibwe words was well placed, important to the story, important to those the story is about, and important for the audience.
I thought this was an incredibly well-done picture book, and hope to see more books like it in the future. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a way to address keeping the water clean to younger readers or to anyone in need of a good picture book.
Joanne Robertson uses crisp language and vibrant illustrations to bring a true story to life for a young audience. This is a wonderful way to introduce multiple topics to children. It addresses the importance of water in our everyday lives, as well as the ways we can take care of water. It looks at real-world women as part of a larger activist movement. It looks at indigenous culture and activism in a unique light. There is a lot going on here, but it is presented so subtly as part of the larger picture of the story. I also thought the use of Ojibwe words was well placed, important to the story, important to those the story is about, and important for the audience.
I thought this was an incredibly well-done picture book, and hope to see more books like it in the future. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a way to address keeping the water clean to younger readers or to anyone in need of a good picture book.
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