Horn Book Review
In the Nicola Valley, British Columbia, where Interior Salishan peoples live, Nikki and friends forage for wild plants with relatives, including Yayah (grandmother). Yayah emphasizes the importance of plant identification and naming in their endangered Indigenous language, Nłe?kepmxcmn. Using the text's pronunciation guidance and the glossary, interested readers will learn along with the young characters. Quiet collage-like art emphasizes the land's natural riches. Author's note included. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A current-day Interior Salish girl named Nikki and her two friends spend a day with Yayah, Nikki's grandmother, learning about edible plants.Nikki and Yayah are tanning a deer hide when they notice a rainbow blooming across the sky. When neighbors Jamesie Pookins and Lenny join them, Yayah asks if the children know which edible plants are ready to be gathered in the spring. They have many answers: wild rhubarb, wild celery, lightning mushrooms, and more. Even though they admit they don't like how mushrooms taste, they want to help Yayah gather. Soon, everyone climbs into Auntie Karen's minivan, and they leave to hunt for plants. As they do, Yayah teaches them which plants are safe to eat and which are not, all the while also teaching them the Nle?kepmxcn words for each plant, too. The dialogue naturally folds helpful pronunciation cues for several of the words into the text, and all words are printed with phonetic pronunciations in the closing glossary. Campbell's (Interior Salish/Mtis) quiet story weaves botanical facts with respect for the natural world, naming the plants in the Nle?kepmxcn language. Flett's (Cree/Mtis) colorful, calming illustrations blend very well with the tone of the text, often gracefully incorporating the pulled-out Nle?kepmxcn in display type. The flowers pop against the dark green grass, the relative smallness of the human figures in the landscape emphasizing their relationship with nature.With modern children learning an elder's wisdom, this makes for a lovely day out. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
A sparkling spring day with a rainbow-arced sky finds Nikki, Jamesie, and Lenny harvesting wild potatoes, rhubarb, celery, and lightning mushrooms with their grandmother Yayah. Though it sounds like a frolicsome field trip, their day is much more than that. Every day, Yayah teaches the children two new words in Nlaka'pamux, the language of the indigenous people of the Nicola Valley in British Columbia. Nlaka'pamux, Campbell explains, is an endangered language, making the story all the more significant. Yayah teaches the new words in context and emphasizes the importance of pronunciation. Then readers, like the children, must make sure to articulate subsequent word uses correctly. Although a little pedantic, this cheerful story of a spring-day outing ultimately balances instruction and entertainment. Flett's lovely collages add beauty and a fresh, contemporary tone, while the text captures the essence of the young learning from the old. Timeless values, such as gratitude for the earth, are seamlessly integrated. Consider pairing with the similarly themed All around Us (2017), by Xelena González.--Chaudhri, Amina Copyright 2018 Booklist
