by Willie Poll, illustrated by Chief Lady Bird
Arsenal Pulp Press
10/11/22, hardcover
SKU: 9781551528892
In this beautifully illustrated book, a determined young Anishnaabe girl in search of adventure goes on a transformative journey into a forest on her traditional territory. She is joined by a chorus of women and girls in red dresses, ancestors who tell her they remember what it was like to be carefree and wild, too. Soon, though, the girl is challenged by a monster named Hate, who envelops her in a cloud of darkness. She climbs a mountain to evade him, and, with the help of her matriarchs and the power of Thunderbird, the monster is held at bay. The women and girls together beat their drums in song and support, giving the girl the confidence she needs to become a changemaker in the future, capable of fending off any monster in her way.
Together We Drum, Our Hearts Beat as One is a moving and powerful book about Indigenous resistance and female empowerment.
Target age: 3 to 8
About the Contributors:
Willie Poll is a proud Metis author from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, who who has spent the last ten years working in Indigenous education. She is very passionate about supporting Indigenous youth to reach their dreams and reclaim their power. Together We Drum, Our Hearts Beat as One is her first book.
Chief Lady Bird is an Anishinaabe artist/illustrator from Rama First Nation. She graduated from OCADU in 2015 with a BFA in Drawing and Painting and a minor in Indigenous Visual Culture. She is the illustrator of Nibi's Water Song by Sunshine Tenesco and has illustrated for Audible, Vice, and Twitter, among others.