Berry Song (Caldecott Honor Book)

by Michaela Goade

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Michaela Goade has made a habit of creating stunning, thoughtful, otherworldly illustrations to go with stories that need to be told and cherished. Berry Song, a Caldecott Honor recipient, is what happens when Goade writes and illustrates it all herself. Berry Song easily earns its spot in every library and bookshelf and sits naturally with her other projects such as Carole Lindstrom’s We are the Water Protectors and Joy Harjo’s Remember.

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316494175
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	07/19/2022
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	21,035
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

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.

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/11/2022

In Caldecott Medalist Goade’s (We Are Water Protectors) solo debut, a Tlingit grandmother and her granddaughter celebrate the earth, foraging through the seasons “on an island at the edge of the wide, wild sea.” Gently evocative, reiterative lines trace the grandmother teaching the child narrator to gather “slippery seaweed,” catch “silvery salmon,” and pick a wide variety of forest berries. When “the berries sing to us,” the duo reciprocates in song (“Salmonberry, Cloudberry, Blueberry, Nagoonberry./ Huckleberry, Soapberry, Strawberry, Crowberry”), so that “berry—and bear—know we are here.” They also express their gratitude for the gift of life-sustaining food, sing for their ancestors and for the future, and seek to “take care of the land...// As the land takes care of us.” Vivid, brilliant hues embolden lushly wrought, soft watercolor and mixed-media illustrations, painting a serene picture of nature and its many gifts in spreads that blur the lines between the landscape and the figures in it. 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. Ages 4–8. Agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions. (July)

Publishers Weekly

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

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

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

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

* "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

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

From the Publisher

★ 07/01/2022

PreS-Gr 1—This book shares the foraging tradition of a young Tlingit girl and her grandmother living on an island off of the coast of Alaska. The grandmother teaches the young girl which berries to pick and how to say "Gunalchéesh," or give thanks. Told with rhythm to match the song, the duo sings as they pick berries ("Salmonberry, Cloudberry, Blueberry, Nagoonberry. Huckleberry, Soapberry, Strawberry, Crowberry"). The author captures rich language to mirror the beauty of nature. A note cautions young foragers to research and use adult supervision, while the back matter includes a glossary of information on which berries are safe to gather. These additions make this picture book perfect for cross-disciplinary learning with science or social studies. VERDICT Goade calls upon her childhood memories and current home and shares important information about the beauty and utility of nature. Told in rhythm, song, and narrative, the language is rich and evocative—perfect for early elementary readers.—Tracey S. Hodges

School Library Journal

This ode to the berry-rich land by Tlingit author and Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade finds its ideal narrator in Erin Tripp, who is Lingít Deisheetaan. Tripp's skill with the Tlingit language is matched by her feeling for the ebb and flow of Goade's English text. The audiobook opens with a recitation of the many different berries of Sitka, Alaska, in both Lingít and English and closes with Tripp's reading of the author's note, which describes the importance of berries and the land they grow on to her culture. In between, a child and grandmother go berrying, Tripp's voice cradling each word. The English names of the berries become a quietly prayerful refrain, punctuating the lyrical account and emphasizing both the land's profound bounty and the characters' respect for it. Sumptuous. V.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2024 - AudioFile

★ 2022-01-25
A magical intergenerational story of gifts and cultural rituals shared between a grandmother and her granddaughter.

A Tlingit grandmother takes her young granddaughter to a nearby island for a berry-picking adventure in the forest. To alert the forest bear and the various types of berries that glow “like little jewels” of their presence, the pair sing a harvest song: “Salmonberry, Cloudberry, Blueberry, Nagoonberry. Huckleberry, Soapberry, Strawberry, Crowberry.” Grandma teaches the girl that “we speak to the land…as the land speaks to us,” and “we sing too, so the land knows we are grateful.” As they gather berries in the misty rain, they listen to the sounds of insect wings, inhale the sweet scent of cedar, and feel the soft moss on tree branches. Back at home, “the kitchen glows like a summer sky” as the girl, her grandmother, her father, and her younger sister make syrup, marmalade, jelly, jam, pie, and scones to share. When winter comes, the forest is described as “dreaming, waiting for berry song.” Seasons change, marking the passage of time and leading to a bittersweet, full-circle ending. This beautifully written story by Caldecott medalist/debut author Goade features breathtaking, atmospheric artwork inspired by the wild landscape of her hometown, Sheet’ká, Alaska, and incorporates rich symbolism and imagery from Tlingit culture. A closing author’s note elucidates sacred Tlingit principles mentioned in the story, and dazzling endpapers identify different berry varieties. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A touching story of familial love and of respect and gratitude for the bounty of the land. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews