The following unabridged reviews are made available under license from their respective rights holders and publishers. Reviews may be used for educational purposes consistent with the fair use doctrine in your jurisdiction, and may not be reproduced or repurposed without permission from the rights holders.

Note: This section may include reviews for related titles (e.g., same author, series, or related edition).

From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

“A seed is a story you can hold in your hand.” A young narrator preparing to sow wild rice (mnoomin) shares observations about the ecosystem in which wild rice plays a part, and of the role and rituals of wild rice in the child’s Ojibwe culture, in a spare yet lyrical bilingual (Ojibwe/English) picture book. Mayfly and Pike, Eagle and Muskrat, Moose and Heron and Bat are all part of the marshy world in which wild rice grows. When the rice is “heavy with new life” it is time to harvest. “We offer semaa to the waters, asking for safe passage. We offer tobacco to the fields, asking mnoomin to fill our canoe.” Harvesting means bending stalks and knocking seeds loose into the canoe; it means leaving those that don’t easily let go. Some of the harvest is set aside for sowing, the rest is roasted to dry before the husks are loosened beneath dancing feet, and the seeds are winnowed and then cooked. “We say miigwech to mnoomin for allowing us this feast.” Warmly hued, beautifully composed illustrations glow with the beauty of the natural world and warmth of family and tradition. A translator’s note discusses variations in the Objibwe/Nishnaabemwin language among different communities and the cultural grounding for her translation. (Ages 4-8)

CCBC Choices 2024 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2024. Used with permission.

From Horn Book

November 1, 2023
A lyrical text written in Anishinaabemowin and English tells about the journey of a seed and of an ecosystem. "A seed is a story you can hold in your hand." The mnoomin seed travels first in the waterways, where it remembers Mayfly, who fed Pike, "who in turn nourished the earth below"; Eagle, who makes sure Muskrat does not eat "more than the field could bear"; and Moose, who "uproots crowding plants" by walking through the water. When the seeds sprout in the water, their leaves provide hiding places for small fish and protection for Duck and her ducklings on shore. Luby's reverent text then describes the traditional method of harvesting what grows. The winnowed grains are danced upon, washed, roasted, and eaten. Some are stored, and some sown for future harvest. Pawis-Steckley's vibrant color palette captures the hues of sunlight throughout the story as well as the lush flora and fauna and the warmth of the human interactions. Notes about the balance of the ecosystem and about the book's use of language are appended. Naomi R. Caldwell

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)