Nibi's Water Song

by Sunshine Tenasco, Chief Lady Bird (Illustrator)

Overview

This bright and vivacious book from two Native creators celebrates the energy, moxie, and determination of water activists of all ages.

When Nibi, an Indigenous girl, turns the tap in her house, only mucky brown water comes out. That starts her on a search for clean water to drink. Though she must face polluted rivers, unfriendly neighbors, and her own temporary discouragement, Nibi's joyful energy becomes a catalyst for change and action as her community rallies around her to make clean drinking water available for all.

The hopeful tone and lively read-aloud quality of the text open the door to conversations and action with young children, while the distinctive, delightful artwork conveys the themes of vitality, resistance, and resilience. The word "Nibi" means "water" in the Anishinaabe language, and Nibi's Water Song is as refreshing and revitalizing as its protagonist's name.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643794839
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	10/12/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Sunshine Tenasco is Anishinaabe from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, Quebec, Canada. She is a mom of four kids and a clean water activist. A portion of the profits from her handmade beadwork pendants go to a foundation that strives for a better environment for all. She also conducts workshops where she teaches beadwork and talks about the realities Indigenous people face in Canada, particularly around water access. Nibi's Water Song is her first book. Visit her website at herbraids.com.

Chief Lady Bird is a Chippewa and Potawatomi artist from Rama First Nation and Moose Deer Point First Nation. The first artist to create an emoji for Twitter for Indigenous Peoples Day/Indigenous History Month, she uses digital illustration, mixed-media work, street art/murals, and community-based workshops to center contemporary truths and envision Indigenous Futurisms. You can find her online as @chiefladybird.

Sunshine Tenasco is Anishinaabe from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, Quebec, Canada. She is a mom of four kids and a clean water activist. A portion of the profits from her handmade beadwork pendants go to a foundation that strives for a better environment for all. She also conducts workshops where she teaches beadwork and talks about the realities Indigenous people face in Canada, particularly around water access. Nibi’s Water Song is her first book. Visit her website at herbraids.com.

Editorial Reviews

08/30/2021

“So thirsty her mouth was clucking,” an Indigenous child called Nibi (which means “water” in Anishinaabemowin) seeks to make drinkable water more abundant for her community via a story that is also a call to action. In a contextualizing author’s note, Tenasco (who is Anishinaabe) writes that 40% of her Ontario reservation doesn’t have access to “this basic human right.” After getting undrinkable water from her home tap, her neighbor’s home, and a river, Nibi visits a nearby town with “big, shiny houses” where the people largely ignore her request. But she continues singing “I am thirsty, thirsty Nibi and I need water,” taking up a series of signs (“Water Is Life”) and dancing until a group of people with various skin tones join her in trying to find a solution. “Together they danced their way to the shiniest building, and showed all the rule-makers how to heal the water.” Nibi’s arc educates readers about the lack of potable water in many Indigenous communities while encouraging children to speak out about conservation issues. In saturated digital illustrations by Bird (who is Chippewa/Potawatomi), cool-toned backgrounds are laced with Native designs of woodland-style fish and florals that communicate the interconnectedness of all living beings alongside a story about an urgent issue. Ages 3–6. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"Tenasco writes openly and honestly about the unequal treatment of Indigenous communities. . . Nibi's song conveys the powerful message that clean water is a basic human right that should be afforded to everyone regardless of their ethnicity. The book successfully functions as a catalyst for an important conversation between parents and children. Yet, despite the subject matter, the text remains age-appropriate." — Quill and Quire

"One gutsy girl leads the way." — Kirkus Reviews

"The compelling narrative with its accompanying illustrations explains the fight for clean water in simple and relatable terms, making this a great first purchase." — School Library Journal

"Nibi's arc educates readers about the lack of potable water in many Indigenous communities while encouraging children to speak out about conservation issues." — Publishers Weekly

"Astute readers will easily draw connections to the news headlines about the Dakota Access Pipeline protests by the Standing Rock Sioux." — The Horn Book

"A good introduction to this under-reported injustice." — Booklist

CCBC Choices - Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

From the Publisher

09/01/2021

K-Gr 2—Nibi is a thirsty, thirsty girl, so thirsty her mouth is clucking, thus begins her search for clean water. The water from her tap is brown, the water in the river is dirty, so Nibi goes to the next town with "…big, shiny houses." One of the residents give her small amount of water, but when she needs more water, her pleas are ignored. She sings and dances asking for clean water and is joined by her friends. More and more people from different communities participate in her protest and they "showed all the rule-makers how to heal the water," resulting in clean water for everyone. The story is similar to Carole Lindstrom's We Are Water Protectors, but on a local level, as in The Water Lady by Alice B. McGinty. Brightly colored, crisp drawings depict Nibi accompanied by her dog on their search and protest for clean water, with woodland animals and flowers appearing as accents. A variety of people make up those who are protesting, representing different groups coming together. In the notes, both the author and illustrator discuss the lack of clean water on Canadian reservations. VERDICT The compelling narrative with its accompanying illustrations explains the fight for clean water in simple and relatable terms, making this a great first purchase.—Tamara Saarinen, Pierce County Lib., WA

School Library Journal

2021-06-29
An enthusiastic but thirsty Anishinabe girl and her French bulldog search everywhere looking for clean water to drink.

After playing outside, Nibi and her dog go inside for a nice, cool drink of water. Brown, sludgy water pours from the tap. They run to the river, but even the fish says, “You can’t drink this dirty water!” Nibi and the dog go to the next town and run along a street with “big, shiny houses.” She knocks on doors until a lady hands Nibi a small bottle of water. But the water’s gone too quickly! She tries again, at that house and the others. “KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!” But no one answers. She paints a sign: “Water Is Life / I Am Thirsty.” Soon, her friends join her. They make their own signs, and Nibi’s quest becomes a peaceful protest. (Even her dog carries a sign: “Woof!”) They march in the town with the big, shiny houses, and its people join in, and finally, lawmakers listen. Before long, the river is clear, and clean water runs from the taps. Water activist Tenasco (Anishinabe) effectively uses Nibi’s dilemma to illustrate a larger point. Nibi’s song—“I am thirsty, thirsty Nibi / and I need water!”—acts as an urgent refrain. Lively, colorful illustrations from Chief Lady Bird (Chippewa and Potawatomi) add to the energy of the story, incorporating stylized fish and flower motifs into the clean-lined illustrations of the brown-skinned, pigtailed girl.

One gutsy girl leads the way. (author's note, illustrator's note) (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews