A loving Cherokee family waits at the mountain's base for a young pilot to return from war. Told in song, this picture book provides a larger to smaller view where the action and words are incorporated into the grandmother's weaving, building to a surprise finale. Author Traci Sorell's website describes her as an author of inclusive works for inquisitive young minds and this picture book showcases that beautifully, blending history, culture, and art in an uplifting way.
The author's note pays homage to the history of Native American U.S. service members in World War II and beyond and the final pages of the book display more weaving and the quote, "the roots that ground us help us soar."
At the Mountain's Base is the winner of the following awards:
2020 American Indian Youth Literature Award - Picture Book Honor
2020 Notable Books for a Global Society
2020 Picture This! Award from the Wisconsin State Reading Association
2020 Bank Street's Best Children's Books of the Year – Poetry
2020 American Library Association Notable Children's Book
2020 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
2020 Rise: A Feminist Book Project - Top Ten List
Take the Read Native 2021 reading challenge provided by the American Indian Library Association, and enjoy these and other books by Indigenous authors and illustrators.