Berry Song (Caldecott Honor Book) - by Michaela Goade (Hardcover)

About the Book

As a young Tlingit girl collects wild berries over the seasons, she sings with her Grandmother as she learns to speak to the land and listen when the land speaks back.

Book Synopsis

A Caldecott Honor Book!

An Indie Bestseller!

Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade's first self-authored picture book is a gorgeous celebration of the land she knows well and the powerful wisdom of elders.

On an island at the edge of a wide, wild sea, a girl and her grandmother gather gifts from the earth. Salmon from the stream, herring eggs from the ocean, and in the forest, a world of berries.

Salmonberry, Cloudberry, Blueberry, Nagoonberry.

Huckleberry, Snowberry, Strawberry, Crowberry.

Through the seasons, they sing to the land as the land sings to them. Brimming with joy and gratitude, in every step of their journey, they forge a deeper kinship with both the earth and the generations that came before, joining in the song that connects us all. Michaela Goade's luminous rendering of water and forest, berries and jams glows with her love of the land and offers an invitation to readers to deepen their own relationship with the earth.

Review Quotes

A 2022 KIRKUS BEST CHILDREN'S BOOK
A 2022 SLJ BEST BOOK
A 2022 BOOKLIST EDITORS' CHOICE
A HORN BOOK FANFARE
A 2022 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOK
A 2022 BOOKPAGE BEST BOOK
AN NPR BEST BOOK OF 2022
A 2022 WASHINGTON POST BEST BOOK
A 2022 CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF
MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN'S LITERATURE BEST BOOK
2023 ALSC NOTABLE BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
2023 CCBC CHILDREN'S CHOICES LIST
2023 BANK ST COLLEGE BEST BOOKS
2024 AMERICAN INDIAN YOUTH LITERARY AWARD HONOR

"Berry Song may strike young readers as not quite like any picture book they've seen before."--Shelf Awareness

* "A magical intergenerational story of gifts and cultural rituals shared between a grandmother and her granddaughter."
--Kirkus, starred review

* "Goade's lush, brightly colored art vividly portrays the landscape."--Horn Book, starred review

* "The glowing pictures and supportive text encourage our stewardship of Mother Earth as Caldecott Medal winner Goade presents another important contribution to both environmental and cultural literature."
--Booklist, starred review

* "Told in rhythm, song, and narrative, the language is rich and evocative--perfect for early ­elementary ­readers."--School Library Journal, starred review

* "Tapping into themes of people's connection to nature--and nature's to people--the volume crucially invites readers to recognize this intersection. An author's note contextualizes core Tlingit tenets discussed."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

About the Author

Michaela Goade is a Caldecott Medalist and a #1 New York Times bestselling artist. She is the illustrator of a number of award-winning and bestselling books, including We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom and I Sang You Down from the Stars by Tasha Spillett-Sumner. She grew up along Alaska's wild coast, where she picked berries with every season. She is from the Raven moiety and Kiks.ádi clan from Sitka, Alaska, where she currently lives. She invites you to visit her online at michaelagoade.com.