We Are Water Protectors, written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade, is more then a children's book. This story uses inspirational language, a powerful main character, and gravitating illustrations to raise awareness and start a conversation. While reading this book I found my eyes constantly darting across the page trying to take in each color, pattern, and symbol illuminated on the page. The pages are hard to look away from and each one adds a crucial piece to the story being told.

 

I felt connected to the people and place in the story within the first few pages. The simple sentences and text said more then enough about what was happening in the story. 

 

The story begins with a young girl and her grandmother connecting over a powerful teaching moment. Water is a large part of their culture and community and the reader sees that being threatened by a "black snake". This metaphor is not complicated for us to understand but to a child this danger to their community is more approachable being seen as a large black snake. The young girl stands strong and brave, hand in hand with her people, against  this danger. She is determined to fight and win against what is threatening to ruin her land and her community. 

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There are many large issues this story addresses and raises awareness to. The main critical issue that is brought to light is the "black snake" that signifies the pipelines that are being seen taking over and ruining vast areas of land in our country and all around the world.  The story introduces the people, animals, and land that these pipelines would destroy. Another issue being shown through the story is the lack of voice indigenous people have. We know through our history that minorities and indigenous people are consistently overlooked, shut down, and made to feel invisible. This story shows a female indigenous hero standing up for what she believes in and not going down without a fight. 

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These issues presented in the story are more then many students in America may be able to understand or ever have to deal with in their lives. But being able to make a connection with the people and places in the book can start a conversation and lead to action. By creating an empathic student and reader, a classroom can become more then any of them imagined. Ask a child to put themselves in the mindset of the main character, a young girl whose home is being threatened. Ask questions that give the students a different perspective to think from and create scenarios that might connect this critical issue to something within their lives.