Starred review from December 9, 2024
“Roam the water with me./ We are here to learn.// Here to spin wisdom,/ to grow,” begins a story set in a wooded area, where elders pass on traditions to younger generations. With each page turn, the landscape becomes less wild, with rivers giving way to construction sites. As the landscape changes, a group nevertheless collects and soaks vines, turns them into yarn, and begins weaving rushes (“Here to form bonds,/ to make ties”), slowly building a large, majestic shape that seeks to help the weavers “rise above. To survive... to shape this world together.” This work by two Australian creators, Saunders and Blackwood, delves into themes of creating a future of balance and community with the natural world, while a slow, rhythmic tone and loose-lined illustrations emphasize saving what’s most important. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Creators’ notes conclude. Ages 4–8.
January 15, 2025
In this Australian import, an elder urges the community to lean on Indigenous wisdom in a changing world. The older adult and a child wade into a rushing stream, peering curiously at the life around them: "Roam the water with me. We are here to learn." As the narrative progresses with a series of similar invitations, the lens widens to include more of the pair's community and their environment. Over time, construction machinery and debris appear. Amid landscapes of urban decay, Saunders (Gunai) uses weaving as a metaphor for community-building, demonstrating that Indigenous knowledge can be a source of connection and power as we work toward creating a better world. One spread is dominated by the snarl of a vacant lot crowded with rubbish and a construction crane, but the richly textured images draw readers' eyes to the edge of the page, where a group of neighbors harvest rushes growing on the side of a road. Blackwood's art underscores hope and opportunities to help cultivate the land. Diverse community members work together to gather natural materials, process fiber, and weave vibrant textiles, and as the book reaches a heartwarming conclusion, their vision is at last realized. Though the complexities of Saunders' metaphor may be lost on the youngest readers, all will feel empowered by her overarching message, summed up in her final words: "We are here to fly, here to shape this world together." Reassurance for little ones facing an uncertain world. (author's and illustrator's notes)(Picture book. 4-8)
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March 1, 2025
Saunders, a member of the Gunai people, writes about weaving, water, and wisdom in this picture book first published in Australia. The spare and straightforward text describes yarning, which can refer both to fiber arts and to storytelling. "We are here to collect the vines. Here to find the rushes, to fuse the fibers...to soak and split. To roll between finger and thumb. To yarn...to knot and loop. Here to form bonds, to make ties...to unite." Saunders's understated prose alludes to traditional ecological knowledge passed down by women elders, to rising sea levels and cultural displacement produced by the climate crisis, and to the need to join together to effect change. Blackwood's illustrations combine saturated details with soft-edged blending and warm, earthy tones with deep verdigris teals and sea-glass greens. Scenes of the familiar, realistic landscape (a creek flows through a concrete drain and past industrial sites, skateboarding teens, graffitied walls, and tent encampments) give way to images of the community weaving together and then to the luminous humpback whale-shaped rafts they've created, which "rise above" the storm -- the world we live in. Blackwood uses weaving patterns (inspired by references "from all over the globe") to especially magical effect in embellishing these whale-rafts that float into the night sky: "We are here to fly, here to shape this world together." Lara K. Aase
(Copyright 2025 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
March 1, 2025
Preschool-Grade 3 In spare text, Saunders, a member of the Gunai people of Australia, tells the gentle story of an Elder teaching a child about gathering and weaving practices. Paying homage to Indigenous cultures all over the planet, the story follows the Elder and child along waterways, and a community of people joins them as they collect materials together and simultaneously build intertwining connection to one another as they "weld oneness" and "unite." The delicate earth-tone watercolor illustrations capture the story's nods to Indigenous cultures, traditions, and wisdom, as they zoom out to reveal that the rushes they're gathering are surrounded by encroaching development. As the story's messaging widens with hope, so does the lens of the artwork, expanding to capture more and more of the community members and their surroundings, emphasizing the importance of community-building now and for the future. While the metaphors and symbolism may be a bit advanced for some young readers, the overall message and emotion of the story shine through and are enhanced by endnotes from the author and illustrator.
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