• Age: 4 to 7
• Grade: k to 2

A joyous celebration of gender expression through an Indigenous lens, by New York Times bestselling author Tasha Spillett and Ojibwe elder Daniel Ramirez

Raven loves round dances. The drums sing to the people, and the people dance to their songs. Raven especially loves dancing with his grandma, sidestepping to the rhythm of the drums. His favourite part of all is watching the ribbon skirts swirl like rainbows.

“Nohkum, do you think a boy could wear a ribbon skirt?” Raven asks his grandmother one day. She tells him she has lived for a long time, but she has never seen it. That evening, she sews late into the night, and Raven awakes to a rainbow skirt of his own. “I’ve lived for a long time,” his grandma says, “and I’m lucky to see beautiful things that I’ve never seen before.” At the next dance, Raven wears the swirl of unique ribbons with pride.

With illustrations infused with joy and colour, this moving intergenerational story celebrates self-expression, honouring traditions, and finding room for reinvention.

Tasha Spillett, PhD, (she/her/hers) is a New York Times bestselling author, educator, and public speaker who draws her strength from her Cree and Trinidadian bloodlines. Tasha’s work centers around the liberation and affirmation of BIPOC women and children. She acknowledges her unique opportunity and responsibility as an Afro-Indigenous woman to create learning environments that are culturally responsive. Infusing her teaching with cultural knowledge, Tasha supports and fosters belonging amongst BIPOC students and their families.

Tasha is the author of the award-winning graphic novel series, Surviving the City, the New York Times bestselling picture book, I Sang You Down from the Stars, and Beautiful You, Beautiful Me. Tasha weaves her cultural identity into both her trade and scholarly work focusing on issues affecting Indigenous women like calls for justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people. Her work is a continuation of the resistance against the legacy of colonialism and a celebration of the beauty and brilliance of her ancestors.

Tasha Spillett's profile page

DANIEL RAMIREZ is a descendant of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan and a much-celebrated fine artist. His award-winning art has appeared in exhibitions and museums across the world, including at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC. He lives between Phoenix, Arizona, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Daniel Ramirez's profile page

"Cree author Spillett (I Sang You Down from the Stars) captures the joy of the round dance, and a feeling of belonging and connection offered in intergenerational Indigenous community."

Publishers Weekly - STARRED REVIEW

"[A] welcome story about an Indigenous child’s gender expression."

The Horn Book

"Weaves Two-Spirit self-expression and collective belonging into a beautiful tribute to Indigenous heritage."

Kirkus Reviews - STARRED REVIEW