Most spreads picture nature scenes connecting humans in community with one another and with animals, water, and the universe.

Goade masterfully controls this medium, creating fine, delicate patterns clean lines and swaths of varying saturations that create a feast for the eyes. On the first spread, Nokomis teaches the girl that “water is the first medicine.” Together, they stand waist-deep in water, Nokomis’s caring hand gently placed on the girl’s back, as the layers of water of different hues of blue bleed up into tree and leaf shapes, the way only watercolor can do. In the case of We Are Water Protectors, Goade’s illustrations immerse readers in the reality - physical and emotional - of our interconnectedness and our dependence on water. Often a book’s illustrations add to, play with, or stretch the meaning of the book’s text. And what important messages our society needs to hear right now. If there are two main takeaways from this book’s powerful text, those might be the ones. I instantly fell in love with the artist’s striking work, but seeing this one image was only the tip of the iceberg for me. Before I ever saw the book, I saw an illustration from one of its pages - the image of a determined young girl, used for one of Kweli's conferences. It stands out among the books published this year for its importance in our shared culture and for its elegant beauty. When a black snake threatens to destroy the Earth And poison her people’s water, one young water protector takes a stand to defend Earth’s most sacred resource.I simply cannot get enough of We Are Water Protectors. Inspired by the many Indigenous-led movements across North America, We Are Water Protectors issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth’s water from harm and corruption - a bold and lyrical picture book written by Carole Lindstrom and vibrantly illustrated by Michaela Goade. Publisher's Synopsis: Winner of the 2021 Caldecott Medal #1 New York Times Bestseller Genres: Activism, American Indians First Nations Metis Inuit, Environment Published by Roaring Brook Press on March 17, 2020 We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom When the construction of an oil pipeline -depicted as a monstrous black snake -threatens to “spoil the water” and harm the plants, animals, and humans who depend on the water, a Native girl commits to becoming Earth’s steward, rallying and joining others to defeat the black snake.

This Caldecott award winner highlights water not just an important natural resource but as a sacred, living element that sustains and binds all together plants, animals, and humans.

We are water protectors book