(1) K-3 Illustrated by Julie Flett. Sainte-Marie's (Cree First Nation) 2008 song about wintertime on the Cree reserve in Alberta has here been reinterpreted as a picture book. Flett's (Cree-Métis) signature style--with its nature-evoking colors; simple, ­sweeping lines; and expansive compositions in gorgeous art rendered in pastel and pencil--suggests movement into limitless space and time ("still this love goes on and on"). The strength of both text and art lies in their concrete imagery and cultural specificity: snowshoes, parkas, sweetgrass, drums, jingle dancers, fancy dancers, "beaded girls and painted ponies." Seeing the song lyrics in this format draws the ­reader's attention to felicitous phrasing and reveals the power of metaphors such as "Now the fields are muffled in white and snow is on the dawn / Morning comes on shivering wings." The book includes notated music--handy for teachers and librarians to use during storytime.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022