Why We Dance: A Story of Hope and Healing

(Hardback)

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Description

Its a special daythe day of the Jingle Dress Dance! Before the big powwow, theres a lot to do: getting dressed, braiding hair, packing lunches, and practicing bounce-steps. But one young girl gets butterflies in her stomach thinking about performing in front of her whole community. When the drumbeats begin, though, her family soothes her nerves and reminds her why she dances.

Reviews

***STARRED REVIEW***
"A powerful story that will have hearts beating in time with the pounding drums and dancers bounce-steps."

* Kirkus *
A moving portrayal of how Jingle Dress dancers dance for those who cant. * Horn Book *
The subtlety of the text is beautifully complemented with watercolor illustrations that depict a close, strong, intergenerational community steeped in the importance of valuing tradition even while tradition evolves with time. Why We Dance should be part of all readers repertoires. * Booklist *
The specifics and cultural context of the Jingle Dress are left to the authors note, allowing the text to focus fully on the emotion of the day, from the girls excitement and nervousness to the entire communitys love of and devotion to a tradition that honors elders and ancestors while growing contemporarily. * Bulletin of the Center for Childrens Books *
Warm watercolor images help tell this lovely story...Gorgeous artwork shows not only the beauty of this coming together but the joy of the girls that radiates as they dance. An excellent story about Indigenous culture, and how communities can support each other when things are tough. * School Library Journal *

Author Bio

Deidre Havrelock is a member of Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Alberta, Canada. She was raised in Edmonton, Alberta, and is the author of the picture book Buffalo Wild!, hailed as an exuberant celebration, and Indigenous Ingenuity: A Celebration of Traditional North American Knowledge, coauthored with Edward Kay. She lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Mtis, with her family.
Aly McKnight is a self-taught watercolor artist and illustrator whose art features vibrant colors and Indigenous stories. Aly is an enrolled member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and grew up in a small farming community in northern Nevada, She is the second-youngest of eight children and is now based out of Utah, where she lives with her partner, Brockton, of Hawaiian/Samoan descent, and their daughter, Paoakalani.