I Am Connected

An Indigenous child spends time in a pine-filled, water-adjacent landscape recounting various means of connection—with themself, their ancestors, and the earth. To honor self, “I hug myself tight”; to honor ancestors, “I often make a spirit plate,” setting aside a portion of each dish; and to honor the Earth, “I inhale deeply and smell the cedar, honeysuckle, spruce, and hemlock.” Each segment ends with a question that invites reader interactivity—a spread about the child’s connection to trees and fondness for climbing them finishes, “What do you do to feel strong”? While a sudden reference to the child as a grandmother may feel abrupt to some, space- and time-spanning text from Jaadee, who belongs to various First Nations tribes and is part Hawaiian, and sketchbook-like landscapes from Métis/Cree artist Joseph, effectively trace how “the ancestors, Mother Earth, the trees, the animals, all people, you and me.... We are all connected.” Ages 5–9. (Mar.)