PPBF: Still This Love Goes On

Author: Buffy Sainte-Marie
Illustrator: Julie Flett
Publisher: Greystone Kids, 2022
Age: 3-8
Themes: Indigenous communities, family, love, songs

*The blast of color on the lower left came from a crystal in my window!

Opening: Sat beside a beaver dam and watched the winter grow

Summary: (from my library’s catalog) A love letter to Indigenous communities everywhere, this picture book gorgeously celebrates seasons, nature, and community. Based on Academy Award-winning Cree icon Buffy Sainte-Marie’s song of the same name, this gem of a picture book is accompanied by: Sheet music so that readers can play along and a note from Sainte-Marie about her much-admired song.

I picked this book because: I will read any book illustrated by Julie Flett, and now I’ll have to extend that courtesy to Buffy Sainte-Marie! The writing is so beautiful and touching and is perfectly paired with Flett’s skill in bringing emotion through her palette and composition. Most readers of my posts know I favor humor in picture books, but when a team does “quiet” and “thoughtful” this well, I go weak in the knees!

Resources/activities: Look for stirrings in nature, growth, change, and tracks in snow, sand, mud together with loved ones. Repeat.

For more Perfect Picture Book Friday picks with teacher/parent resources, check out the list on Susanna Hill’s blog HERE.

*tracks in the recent snow in my garden