For a Girl Becoming

by Joy Harjo Narrated by Joy Harjo

Overview

From United States Poet Laureate Joy Harjo: a luminous benediction for a girl's journey through life, and a celebration of our connections to the world around us.

A baby girl is welcomed to the breathing world by generations of her family and set on the magnificent journey of becoming. As she grows, she is reminded of her connections to the natural world; to her family, her ancestors, her neighbors; to the source of all magic and sorrow-and of her responsibility to uphold and honor those connections.

With US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo's transcendent verse, For a Girl Becoming acts as a blessing and a harbinger for a young girl's life-and reminds those of us who still stand at the door of becoming that it is our relationships with nature and with each other that carry us through it.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Silver Medal, Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, Multicultural Picture Book

Winner, Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award (Oklahoma Center for the Book)

“This is a blessing to bestow on all of the young women in our lives. With Joy Harjo’s words, ‘As you travel with us,’ the road opens, and the journey promises to be lined with help—and love.”—Debra Frasier, author and illustrator of On the Day You Were Born

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2025-03-21
In this tale from a powerhouse creative team, a family welcomes a child with an empowering and fiercely affectionate blessing to guide her growth.

“The day your spirit came to us rains came in from the Pacific… // and all of us who loved you gathered, where / Pollen blew throughout that desert house to bless, / And horses were running the land, hundreds of them, / To accompany you here, to bless.” And so a newborn baby girl with “black hair, / Brown eyes,” and “skin the color of earth” joins a protective community that spans the heavens and earth. Page turns skillfully capture the passage of time, and as the child grows, she’s enjoined to move through the world with compassion and meet both joys and hardships with determination. Former U.S. Poet Laureate Harjo’s (Mvskoke Nation) fluid and impassioned second-person text circles back effectively to reiterate its enveloping missive, then appears in full at the book’s end. Pura Belpré Award winner Garcia’s dynamic and richly layered portraits deftly echo the poem’s movement. A palette of vibrant turquoise and leafy green depicts the child maturing and thriving, while immersive double-page spreads in tawny hues seamlessly incorporate Native elements throughout. A standout among affirming picture books, this beatitude-inducing work will quickly become the new go-to baby present.

A stunningly illustrated, tender, and tenacious message—a boon to any bookshelf.(Picture book. 4-8)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940194418619
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	04/29/2025
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	Up to 4 Years

Videos