A review by mat_tobin
We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom
5.0
Lindstrom (Anishinaabe/Metis descent) and Goade (Tlingit descent) collaborate here to tell a powerful story of Native American conservation and resilience. With a child as the main protagonist, she recounts a prophecy of the 'black snake' who would come to destroy all in its path; much like the American oil pipelines on Native land (a link here to the 2016 Standing Rock protest).
Lindstrom's call is poetic in form and placed powerfully throughout with a fine editorial hand in making sure phrases and moments act as a strong call-to-arms whilst Goade's double-page spread illustrations lend a sense of water-colour manipulated in photoshop - taking you closer to the main character and inviting the reader to stand by her side.
Rich in symbolism and language, it calls for young people to become stewards of the land, binding us all through water, the life-giver, and the Earth: it is a story for us all led by the people who have always been 'stewards of the Earth'. A passionate call to action for us all with a useful author's & illustrator's note and glossary.
Lindstrom's call is poetic in form and placed powerfully throughout with a fine editorial hand in making sure phrases and moments act as a strong call-to-arms whilst Goade's double-page spread illustrations lend a sense of water-colour manipulated in photoshop - taking you closer to the main character and inviting the reader to stand by her side.
Rich in symbolism and language, it calls for young people to become stewards of the land, binding us all through water, the life-giver, and the Earth: it is a story for us all led by the people who have always been 'stewards of the Earth'. A passionate call to action for us all with a useful author's & illustrator's note and glossary.