Berry Song (Caldecott Honor Book)

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.

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.

* "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