BUD FINDS HER GIFT

A young Indigenous girl who is “very good at noticing” embraces that gift.

Youngest child Bud realizes that she’s the only member of her family who doesn’t have “something important to do.” So Nokomis (Grandmother) takes her on a walk in the nearby woods. There, Nokomis thanks the morning “for the gift of this day.” When Bud is underwhelmed, Nokomis encourages her to “notice more” the next day. Slowly, Bud begins to hear the flora and fauna celebrating their gifts: “Everyone, from the day of their birth, / was given a gift to share with the Earth. / Being soft and green is what I do best. / So I share with the birds to make a warm nest,” the moss chants with shaky scansion. The things Bud notices all share their own songs, each beginning with the same awkward opening couplet and concluding with another that is specific to them. Children will likely giggle at the song of the robin’s poop, but other than that moment of levity, this outing is more earnest than engaging; fans of Kimmerer’s (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) adult nonfiction work Braiding Sweetgrass (2020) may appreciate the story, but it will be lost on little ones. Stoop’s illustrations depict a dewy-eyed, olive-skinned Bud in plaid shirt and overalls, surrounded by friendly critters. Overall, they’re bland and pretty, befitting the praiseworthy message about ecological harmony but adding little.

Likely to appeal to fans of the author’s work for adults rather than to children.