Still This Love Goes on

"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.)