(1) K-3 As a family goes to bed on a cold night, a young girl begins a story to ease her cousin to sleep. The tale unfolds as a walk through the world around them, illuminating the winter landscape and all who find solace in the quiet hours and tempering her cousin's worries about the dark by urging him to "Come! Haagu! Follow the light." The phrase "Come, haagu" is repeated as they explore the forest, the ocean, and the night sky, sharing the wonders of Tlingit tradition and nature's interdependence. Delicate, leafless branches filter moonlight on fresh snow; bear, deer and lichen all find places to rest in the dark; fish and seals leap under the surface of evening waves; and the northern lights put on a show for all. Tlingit creator and Caldecott Medalist (for We Are Water Protectors, rev. 7/20) Goade shares a gentle story steeped in reciprocity; through mutual existence, there is only wonder, not fear. The watercolor illustrations are intensely saturated with dark blues and purples while conveying calm and light through shimmering lines, shadowy creatures at rest and play, and dots of snowflakes that scatter the pages; the stark contrast between light and dark envelops readers in the story. A moving testament to the deep interconnectedness of the world that will both charm and calm readers.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2025

(1) K-3 In Goade's (Caldecott Medalist for We Are Water Protectors, rev. 7/20) latest picture book, set "on an island at the edge of a wide, wild, sea," a Tlingit grandmother teaches her granddaughter "how to live on the land." First, they gather what they need from the water. Then they enter the forest to pick berries; the berries' names serve as an evolving refrain, and the land is also frequently and reverently referenced. As they pick, they sing to the flora, the fauna, and the ancestors: "We take care of the land... As the land takes care of us." Once they have collected what they need, they head home. After their subsequent feast, they say "Gunalchéesh," giving thanks for the food. The story ends with the girl passing on the song and her grandmother's knowledge to her younger sister. Goade's lush, brightly colored art vividly portrays the landscape. In many of the images, the child and her grandmother are shown intertwined with the forest, with which they are deeply connected. In one scene, the grandmother and granddaughter are the same green as the forest, and their hair and faces are covered by leaves. In another image, we see a totem pole faintly outlined within a tree. An author's note tells more about Goade's childhood; her life in Sheet'ká, or Sitka, Alaska; and the song in the book. Endpapers name the berries in both English and Tlingit.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022