Children's Fiction Native American
When the Stars Came Home
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Initial publish date
- Nov 2023
- Category
- Native American, Diversity & Multicultural, New Experience, City & Town Life, Multigenerational
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9780316592499
- Publish Date
- Nov 2023
- List Price
- $24.99
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Where to buy it
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age: 4 to 8
- Grade: p to 3
- Reading age: 4 to 8
Description
A 2023 Horn Book Fanfare title • A Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature Best Book of 2023 • A CCBC Choices Best Book of 2023
★ "A moving portrait about discovering what home means."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ "Highly recommended.”—School Library Journal, starred review
★ “Luby’s lyrical text and Donovan’s vibrant…illustrations combine to powerfully convey universal themes about change and the strength of family.”—Horn Book, starred review
A heartwarming look at how the comfort of tradition and story can create a true sense of belonging, told through an Indigenous lens.
When Ojiig moves to the city with his family, he misses everything they left behind. Most of all, he misses the sparkling night sky. Without the stars watching over him, he feels lost.
His parents try to help, but nothing seems to work. Not glow-in-the-dark sticker stars, not a star-shaped nightlight. But then they have a new idea for how to make Ojiig feel better — a special quilt stitched through with family stories that will wrap Ojiig in the warmth of knowing who he is and where he came from. Join this irresistible family as they discover the power of story and tradition to make a new place feel like home.
About the authors
BRITTANY LUBY (Anishinaabe-kwe, atik totem) est l’une des nombreuses arrière-petites-filles du chef Kawitaskung, un chef Anishinaabe qui a signé le Traité de l’angle nord-ouest en 1873. D’un coup de crayon, Kawitaskung a accepté de partager des parties de ce qui représente aujourd’hui le Nord-Ouest de l’Ontario avec des colons et leurs descendants. Grâce à ses grands-pères exceptionnels, Brittany croit au pouvoir de l’encre et des mots, c’est pourquoi elle écrit en faveur de la justice sociale. Elle est aussi professeure d’histoire à l’Université de Guelph, spécialisée dans l’histoire de l’Amérique du Nord.
BRITTANY LUBY (Anishinaabe-kwe, atik totem) is the many-greats granddaughter of Chief Kawitaskung, an Anishinaabe leader who signed the North-West Angle Treaty of 1873. With a pen stroke, Kawitaskung agreed to share parts of what is now Northwestern Ontario with settlers and their descendants. Because of her many-greats grandfather, Brittany believes that ink is a powerful tool. The words we write lay the foundation for our future. Brittany writes for social justice. She is also a history professor at the University of Guelph, specializing in Indigenous history in North America.
Natasha Donovan is the illustrator of the award-winning Mothers of Xsan series (written by Brett Huson). She illustrated the graphic novel Surviving the City (written by Tasha Spillett), which won a Manitoba Book Award and received an American Indian Youth Literature Award (AIYLA) honor. She also illustrated Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer which won an Orbis Pictus Honor Book and an American Indian Youth Literature Award (AIYLA). Natasha is Métis, and spent her early life in Vancouver, British Columbia. Although she moved to the United States to marry a mathematician, she prefers to keep her own calculations to the world of color and line. She lives in Washington. www.natashadonovan.com
Editorial Reviews
“With more than 70 percent of Indigenous Americans now residing in urban areas, this story of maintaining culture in a new environment will resonate.”—Booklist
Praise for When the Stars Came Home:
A 2023 Horn Book Fanfare title
A Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature Best Book of 2023
A CCBC Choices Best Book of 2023
A Children's Book Council Notable Social Studies Trade Book
A Forest of Reading 2025 Blue Spruce Award nominee
* "Brilliant."—Kirkus, starred review
Praise for Encounter:
"A standout."—New York Times Book Review
* “Luby’s lyrical text and Donovan’s vibrant…illustrations combine to powerfully convey universal themes about change and the strength of family.”—Horn Book, starred review
* "A moving portrait about discovering what home means."
—Kirkus, starred review
* “Luby (Anishinaabe) and Donovan (Métis) have created a story of identity that is grounded in a specific community with universal themes that will appeal to many readers…useful for classes engaging in discussions about cultural identity, migration, and remaining connected to one’s culture…Highly recommended.”—School Library Journal, starred review
* “Anishinaabe author Luby’s observational, yearning-tinged prose aligns with Métis illustrator Donovan’s art, in which a golden-hued palette and rich purples and indigos echo starlight and velvety night.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
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