PICTURE BOOK REVIEW : Stories Are the Heart of the World by Laurel Goodluck & Nicole Neidhardt
ABOUT THE BOOK
Award-winning Indigenous author Laurel Goodluck weaves an intertribal celebration of traditions and stories that help Indigenous children—and all children—understand who they are as they enter and discover the world in this tender picture book.
When we begin our lives, stories help us understand who we are.
Drawing on tribal Nations’ traditions including Mandan-Hidatsa and Navajo/Diné, this lyrical picture book carries us through the milestones of a beloved child’s life, from birth and their first laugh to entering young adulthood and understanding their place in the community and the world.
Each ceremony that marks a special moment comes with a story—and each story reminds us of the beauty and responsibility to the land we call home, the powerful ancestors who came before us, and the amazing people we can grow up to be.
An Indigenous author-illustrator duo, the award-winning Laurel Goodluck and rising star Nicole Neidhardt, have gorgeously captured the rituals and stories that shape our lives.
REVIEW
Stories are at the heart of most cultures. This poetic book follows a child before and after birth as the parents ground the child in their beliefs and practices through stories. Traditions and practices associated with different kinds of stories are shared as the parents help their child make sense of the world and their place in it. Based on stories and practices the author shared with her own children, the book celebrates the importance of stories in providing the child with a firm foundation for living their life. Stories of other's courage and leadership can help inspire children to find and develop their own sense of responsibility and connect to community. While the kinds of stories and practices highlighted in the book are specific to the Native Nations the author is a part of, the idea of grounding a child in the stories of their culture is not unique to one group of people. The book offers readers a chance to develop understanding of their own or another's culture, it also reminds readers of the value of their own stories. Stories of the past connect to the present and thus the future helping ground us by reminding us of those who came before and how to take care of our own stewardships. The importance of community and family is highlighted in the stories told and traditions practiced. An excellent book for learning about the value of cultural identity and how cultures are formed through the combining of stories and practices over time. Books like this one do a beautiful job of being windows for those inside the cultures discussed and mirrors for those outside who are curious. And the world could use more curiosity and less fear. Highly recommended.
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