Afloat
-
- $8.99
Publisher Description
A powerful picture book story for our time of climate crisis interwoven with Indigenous wisdom.
From multi-award-winning Gunai author Kirli Saunders and Kate Greenaway Medal-winner Freya Blackwood comes Afloat. Against a backdrop of a changed environment, an Elder leads a child along the waterways, sharing her People’s knowledge and gathering community along the way. This uplifting and inspiring picture book uses the practice of weaving as a powerful metaphor for the honoring and teaching of First Nations wisdom, and the coming together of all people to survive, thrive, and create a more hopeful future.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Roam the water with me./ We are here to learn.// Here to spin wisdom,/ to grow," begins a story set in a wooded area, where elders pass on traditions to younger generations. With each page turn, the landscape becomes less wild, with rivers giving way to construction sites. As the landscape changes, a group nevertheless collects and soaks vines, turns them into yarn, and begins weaving rushes ("Here to form bonds,/ to make ties"), slowly building a large, majestic shape that seeks to help the weavers "rise above. To survive... to shape this world together." This work by two Australian creators, Saunders and Blackwood, delves into themes of creating a future of balance and community with the natural world, while a slow, rhythmic tone and loose-lined illustrations emphasize saving what's most important. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Creators' notes conclude. Ages 4–8.
