Berry Song

Tlingit illustrator Michaela Goade, who won the Caldecott Medal in 2021 for her work on Carole Lindstrom's We Are Water Protectors, makes her debut as an author as well in this gorgeous, deeply-felt picture-book, and the result is a triumph! The simple narrative follows a young girl and her grandmother as they gather the many berries growing near their island home by the edge of the "wide wild sea." The beauty of the natural world around them, and the theme of gratitude for what the land provides are dominant themes, which is emphasized in Goade's lovely afterward, in which she speaks more of the spiritual aspect of her people's relationship with the world around them, and with the "medicine" of berry picking...

Having greatly enjoyed show more Goade's work in a number of other picture-books, including the Lindstrom title, and a few folkloric works published by Sealaska Heritage, I picked up Berry Song with great anticipation. I was not disappointed, finding it to be a lovely book, one which pairs a simple but emotionally resonant narrative with breathtakingly beautiful artwork. Some of the scenes were just so gorgeous, both in their overall composition and in the little details—the scene of the little girl entering the forest with her blue bucket, the one in which her hair is made of berries and her dress is the sea—that I needed to pore over them. There is true magic in these pictures! The narrative was also lovely, emphasizing the girl and her grandmother's relationship to land and sea, and the ties of love and gratitude that bind them together. As a berry lover myself, I was interested in the great diversity of different kinds mentioned, and I appreciated the use of both English and Tlingit words for them, on the gorgeously decorative endpapers. As someone who has only encountered cloudberries in Scandinavia before (I discovered them while visiting Sweden some years ago), I was tickled to see them included, and fascinated by some others (bunchberry, chalkberry) that I had never heard of before. Now I want to try them all...

Truly, a wonderful book, one I highly recommend to all picture-book readers looking for gorgeous artwork, stories of our ties to the land, or featuring a Native American / Tlingit cultural background. I borrowed this from the library, but I think I would like to own a copy of my own! show less

Y'all. This book is GORGEOUS.

First, let's talk the illustrations. Michaela Goade won a Caldecott Medal for "We Are Water Protectors." Those drawings, with the blues and the sweeping movements, truly encapsulated the story of the book. In Berry Song, Michaela uses the same techniques with an even larger color palette and creates utter magic. UTTER magic. From the land to the sea, to the girl and her grandmother, I feel the connectedness of one and all. As I discussed with my coworker, we felt the mist on our faces and the joy in our souls.

Then there is the writing (which Michaela does on her own this go around). I felt as if I was reading a love letter. And in so many ways I was. I was reading a love letter to Michaela's indigenous show more heritage, to the land, to her grandmother, to her way of life and the importance of a berry. Sadly, many cultures do not embrace hygge--simplicity--and no matter where a person stands politically or religiously, we need to be THANKFUL. We are where we are on the shoulders of others and of the land we land on.

READ THIS BOOK AND MARVEL! show less

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 show more 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 Review show less

Berry Song follows a young girl and her grandmother as they walk into the forest to gather berries, honouring the gifts of the land. Through her grandmother’s guidance, the girl learns that the land is alive with voice and spirit, speaking to us as we speak to it, and teaching that care must always flow both ways. Their berry-picking becomes a song that connects them to their ancestors, whose voices still echo in the land. This story offers powerful Indigenous teachings about reciprocity, belonging, and the sacred relationship between people and the natural world.

Brief Summary:
This is a lyrical picture book set on a wild island, where a young Tlingit girl and her grandmother venture out to gather gifts from the earth: salmon, herring eggs, and a variety of berries (tléikw). The grandmother teaches her granddaughter the sacred wisdom of their ancestors to sing to the land and care for it, for they are a part of it. The book is a visual and narrative celebration of Tlingit heritage, environmental stewardship, and the kinship that connects all living things.

Berry Song is fundamentally an intergenerational story where the grandmother is the central figure in teaching her granddaughter essential life and cultural lessons. The grandmother passes down wisdom on how to live on the land, stressing core show more Tlingit tenets such as reciprocity: "we take care of the land and the land takes care of us".

Ages: 4-8 show less

This book is great for a younger audience, specifically those in kindergarten or first grade. This book follows the life of a young girl as she helps her grandmother pick berries and shows how she learns about nature and takes care of the environment.
This book has a great balance in the people of yesterday and today category because it is set in a modern time while also showing how stories and traditions get passed down. I enjoyed this book because of how it focused on the environment and tradition, which are subjects that anyone can relate to, which will help students connect with a culture that isn't their own.

This book was very sweet. It was all about how we are connected to the land as it is to us. A girl and her grandma gather berries like their ancestors before them, they sing to the land with gratitude. This would be good for younger reader maybe 1-3 graders. This book is all about the Tlingit tribe.