In this beautiful and empowering
book, a young Indigenous girl goes on a transformative journey through
the forest, with the help of her ancestors.
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.
Hardcover Book. Ages 3 to 8. 8.8" H X 11" W
Together We Drum, Our Hearts Beat as One is
an empowering Indigenous children’s book that will inspire young girls
especially. The protagonist is a young Indigenous girl on a journey
through a forest who meets and tries to evade a “monster” in her midst,
only to be saved by a giant thunderbird and a group of girls and women
wearing red dresses, beating their drums in support.·Author
Willie Poll is a member of the Métis Nation of Ontario. She was
inspired to write this book based on ten years of work in Indigenous
education, and her desire to support Indigenous youth, especially women
and girls. She also works for an organization
(The Moose Hide Campaign) which aims to end gender-based violence to
Indigenous people. In the book, the red dresses are a symbol of the
MMIWG (Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls), a prominent
campaign in Canada to bring awareness to their plight. This symbolism in
the book exists for those who are old enough to know about it; for
children, it can be a subject for discussion but doesn’t need to be.
In
Willie’s own words: “My story was written after spending 10 years
working in Indigenous education and seeing the additional hardships that
Indigenous women and girls face in their lifetimes. I wanted to write
something that inspired children to connect to their culture and to know
that racism and hate are monsters in their life but that they can
thrive.”
The vivid illustrations are by Chief Lady Bird, a well known Indigenous artist in Canada. 