Hummingbird / Aamo-binashee

  • Translated by: Norman Chartrand
  • Pages:32
  • Publisher:Orca Book Publishers
  • Themes:Indigenous resilience, Indigenous teachings, self-worth, residential school, oppression
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  • Available:10/15/2024
  • Lexile:520L
  • Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient:U
Hardcover
9781459837140
$21.95
Ebook
9781459837164 LICENSE OPTIONS
$17.99

Remember the hummingbird's teachings. Remember you are loved.

Kokum warned us to watch out for one another. If we weren't careful, Windigo would eat us. But one night, alone in the darkness, I felt its breath on my neck. Windigo's lies crept into my heart, and I believed them. When we lose connection with others, we lose ourselves, and Windigo's darkness grows and spreads.

In this deeply emotional and beautifully illustrated picture book, the ancestors send a hummingbird to a child lost in Windigo’s darkness. Its teachings of resilience, love and connection bring the child home and remind us that our ancestors are always watching and can help us find our way if we only ask.

This bilingual book includes full text in both English and Anishinaabemowin.

“The palette moves from light in the beginning to dark tones when the Windigo has her, then back to lighter tones as she escapes. A stunning book.”

– School Library Journal (SLJ)

“Teaches self-resilience, love, and connection [and] integrates beautiful illustrations in an Indigenous style. Highly recommended.”

– CM: Canadian Review of Materials

“Jennifer Leason has done a powerful job writing and illustrating this touching dual-language book. The message is strong in the simplicity of the writing, and the illustrations are rich and expressive in conveying the emotions within the story. This title is perfect for exposing children to another language and for Anishinaabemowin language learners of any age…highly recommended for home, school, and public libraries.”

– Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) Canadian Children’s Book News