by Danielle Greendeer, Anthony Perry, and Alexis Bunten
Illustrated by Garry Meeches Sr.
5 stars
A beautiful telling of the story of Keepunumuk, the time of harvest. It focuses on the relationship between humans and the natural world, specifically the Three Sisters as well as the animals.
The book opens with a brief intro about the story and a list of terms and words used, including a pronunciation guide.
The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. Simple storytelling between a grandmother and her grandchildren that demonstrations the passing on of oral history through generations. The grandmother tells of how the Three Sisters, Corn, Beans, and Squash, encourage the First Peoples to help the newcomers and details their famous feast to celebrate their feats. While the story focuses on cooperation and the coming together of different people, it does touch on the darker side of history, with more information available in the backmatter.
There are informational sections at the end for further discussion including more about Wampanoag tribes, their storytelling traditions, harvest feasts, spiritual practices, and a recipe for nasamp. There is also an adorable section on the real-life characters featured in the story.
A beautiful story that touches on not just being thankful and practicing peace with the natural world, but also with mourning the loss that is often overlooked in mainstream celebrations of Thanksgiving.
An excellent book that shares the First Peoples’ perspective of the first Thanksgiving. Works as a great starting place for further discussions.