Still This Love Goes On

by Buffy Sainte-Marie, Julie Flett (Illustrator)

Overview

A New York Times / New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2022!

NAMED A BEST PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR: Kirkus Reviews, Globe and Mail, and Chicago Public Library

"A love letter to family, home, and Indigenous traditions. . . This story reminds readers of the joy we experience upon returning to those whom we love and who love us."—Kirkus ★

From Cree-Métis artist Julie Flett and Academy Award-winning icon Buffy Sainte-Marie comes a celebration of Indigenous community, and the enduring love we hold for the people and places we are far away from.

Based on Sainte-Marie’s song of the same name, Still This Love Goes On combines Flett's breathtaking art with vivid lyrics to craft a stunning portrait of a Cree worldview. At the heart of this picture book is a gentle message about missing our loved ones, and the promise of seeing each other again.

This gem of a picture book features:

• Sheet music of Buffy Sainte-Marie's beloved song
• Notes from Sainte-Marie and Flett about their inspiration for the song and illustrations

Brimming with love for community and the land, Still This Love Goes On is destined to be read and sung for generations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771648073
Publisher:	Greystone Books
Publication date:	09/27/2022
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	28,023
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD370L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Buffy Sainte-Marie is a world-renowned and Academy Award-winning Cree singer–songwriter, activist, educator, and visual artist. Her other books for kids include Hey Little Rockabye, illustrated by Ben Hodson, and Tâpwê and the Magic Hat.

Julie Flett is a Cree–Métis author, illustrator, and artist who has received numerous awards for her books, including two Governor General’s Awards and the American Indian Library Association Award. Her work has been reviewed widely, including in the New York Times, the Globe and Mail, and Publishers Weekly. Her books Birdsong and We All Play, also published by Greystone Kids, earned multiple starred reviews and appeared on many best of the year lists.

Editorial Reviews

★ 10/10/2022

“Sat beside a beaver dam and watched the winter grow/ Ice was hard with little tracks appearing on the snow.” Taking as narrative lines the lyrics of the titular song by Cree activist and musician Buffy Sainte-Marie (Tâpwê and the Magic Hat), this ode to Indigenous culture and the deeply rooted experience of reservation life speaks to the experience of holding a place dear throughout life’s seasons. Pastel, pencil, and digitally finished images by Cree-Métis artist Flett (We All Play) employ organic blocks of earth tones, depicting human figures as diminutive against changing natural landscapes: a child runs across a field of flowers, and a page-turn later, surveys a snow-covered expanse on snowshoes. Soon, word and image turn to another constant—“In every dream I can smell the sweetgrass burning/ And in my heart always hear the drum” attends visuals of jingle dancers and sweetgrass smoke—hinting at a love for and connection to home that “goes on and on.” Back matter includes sheet music and an author’s note that encourages readers to “think about the people and places you love most in your own life.” Ages 3–7. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Flett brilliantly brings this classic song by Buffy Sainte-Marie to life in a picture book that celebrates both the Cree worldview and the ties that bind us to the people and places most important to us."
—Jeffrey Canton, The Globe & Mail

"Flett’s signature style—with its nature-evoking colors, simple, sweeping lines, and expansive composition….suggests movement into limitless space and time…. Gorgeous."
—Horn Book STARRED ★Review

"This ode to Indigenous culture and the deeply rooted experience of reservation life speaks to the experience of holding a place dear throughout life's seasons…..hinting at a love for and connection to home that "goes on and on"….Encourages readers to think about the people and places you love most in your own life."
—Publishers Weekly STARRED ★ Review

“Perfect for bedtime reading... [An] excellent option... for parents looking for something to read with their young children, and especially those looking for books by Indigenous authors.”
—Quill & Quire

"A love letter to family, home, and Indigenous traditions."
—Kirkus STARRED Review

“A heartfelt ode to finding meaning in traditions and the ways love and memories can endure.”
—Booklist Review

“Highly recommended. If Still This Love Goes On is not on your must-buy list yet, put it there right now. Better yet, order it, right now! …A magnificent gift to us all."
—American Indians in Children’s Literature

“Beautiful…celebrates familial love and nature….gorgeous and joyous….would make a lovely gift to a new parent.”
—Book Riot

Praise for We All Play written and illustrated by Julie Flett

"The Cree-Métis Flett pairs rhythmic alliterative verse about animals at play with repeating silhouettes of frolicking children to celebrate our interconnectedness."
—The New York Times

“Lively and beautifully illustrated.”
—Horn Book STARRED REVIEW

“Cree-Métis artist Flett starts with quiet, elegant portraits of animals….In spare compositions, [she] aptly underlines [the kinship between animals and people] by showing animals and humans embracing play in similar ways.”
—Publishers Weekly STARRED Review

“Everyone loves to play! Award-winning author/illustrator Flett shares the joyful antics of young animals as they romp in much the same way as human children. Simple text and bold, graphic illustrations celebrate our interconnection with the creatures who share our world.”
—Kirkus STARRED Review

Praise for Birdsong written and illustrated by Julie Flett

AN AMERICAN INDIAN YOUTH LITERATURE HONOR TITLE

“Flett's simple story explores the difficulties of moving but also shows young readers how new friends can sometimes ease them; that this friendship is an intergenerational one between fellow artists is an especially sweet touch … Emotionally stunning.”
—Kirkus STARRED Review

"Simple and profound, this tender story is a reminder that finding a new friend can make a new place feel like home. Highly recommended for purchase."
—School Library Journal STARRED Review

"Flett’s subtle, sensitive story delicately traces filaments of growth and loss through intergenerational friendship, art making, and changing moons and seasons. Cree-Métis words (defined in a small glossary) add an intimate layer of identity to the child’s lustrous narration, which shines against the spare beauty of rich illustrations by Flett (who is Cree-Métis)"
—Publishers Weekly STARRED Review

From the Publisher

★ 2022-07-13
A love letter to family, home, and Indigenous traditions.

Cree singer/songwriter Sainte-Marie offers a glimpse of her people, their land, and their traditions in this picture book based on the lyrics to one of her songs. Through the eyes of a young child, the book brings to life the cold winter days, the awe of looking up at the nighttime sky, the freedom of running through fields of fragrant summer flowers, the delight of children who dance and sing, and the changing of the seasons. Most of all, with the refrain “Still this love goes on,” the story reminds readers of the joy we experience upon returning to those whom we love and who love us. The soothing cadence of the words, along with heartwarming illustrations by Flett, conjures up images, smells, sounds, and touch as silhouetted buffalo race across the plains and a child with eyes closed smells the burning of sweetgrass. Both the words and the bold artwork, rendered in pencil and pastel and composed digitally, evoke emotional memories of friends and family and of the place we call home. Flat colors contrast with intricate textures, making for an immersive experience. Readers will want to celebrate their own family stories with their children and share knowledge to be passed on. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

This story will remain in readers’ hearts long after this book is shelved. (sheet music, author’s note) (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews