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Summary
Summary
"Nooko's spirit is there in the stars," says Niigaanii to his younger brother, Bineshiinh, as they sprawl in a meadow, gazing skyward. "Uncle said when Nooko':s spirit left this world it went there." Nooko was their grandmother, and they miss her. But Uncle helps them find comfort in the night sky, where all the stars have stories.
Indeed, there are so many stars and so many stories that the boys spend night after night observing and sharing, making sense of patterns and wisdom in "the forever sky." They see a moose, a loon, a crane, the Path of Souls, and so much more.
One night, a beautiful show of lights fills the sky. Niigaanii explains that the northern lights are the spirits of the relatives who have passed on. The boys imagine different relatives dancing, lighting up the sky with their graceful movements. And then they see her: Nooko is one of the elders leading the dance. She has a message for them. One they can share with their parents and their uncle and everyone else who remembers her. One that lends power to the skies and brings smiles to the stargazers' faces.
Author Notes
Thomas Peacock (Fond du Lac Band, Lake Superior Chippewa) is a coauthor of The Four Hills of Life and The Good Path.Annette S. Lee is a professor of astronomy and a professional visual artist. Her communities are Ojibwe and D/Lakota, and she is the director of Native Skywatchers.
Reviews (1)
Kirkus Review
Two young boys observing the night sky remember their relatives who have passed away.After grandmother Nooko's passing, Uncle tells stories to Niigaanii that help explain where she has gone in the hope that he will "feel less sad." While watching the sky one fall evening, Niigaanii shares some of these lessons with his younger brother, Bineshiinh, the most important of which is that Nooko's spirit lives on in the stars. As the boys continue to gaze at the "Forever Sky," they see "the stars form shapes"constellations significant to Ojibwe peopleand they see the Milky Way, or the Path of Souls, that leads to the spirit world. But the dancing lights they encounter on a "very special night" bring an even better surprise. Peacock (Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Anishinaabe Ojibwe) spins prose that feels both traditional and contemporary, providing a mirror for Indigenous readers raised among similar stories. Yet those unfamiliar with the Ojibwe cosmos will connect as well. Although rendered in a style all her own, astrophysicist/artist Lee's (Lakota-Sioux) colorful, richly detailed illustrations recall the X-ray pictograph inspirations, elongated figures, and genre-content popularized by other Native American/First Nations painters. Astute readers will also notice the young brothers appear to wear shorts in some of the images, reinforcing present-day significance.A guiding star of hope to readers who have lost a loved one and a stellar map that values Indigenous knowledge. (glossary) (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
The boys lay quietly for a long time, looking up at the sky full of stars. Then Niigaanii spoke, _The stars are too many to count. And the sky so big it goes on forever. That is why we call it the Forever Sky._ Niigaanii told Bineshiinh more of what he had learned. How the stars form shapes of different spirits, animals and things that live in the sky during each of the seasons. A moose. A panther. A fisher. A loon and crane. A sweat lodge, a bather and sweating stones. The spirit of Wintermaker. The hole in the sky. Waynabozho, who was the great teacher of the Ojibwe. _Do you see the path of stars across the sky? That is the Path of Souls, the Milky Way. That is the path Nooko followed to the spirit world._ _The path leads to the Land of Souls. That is where Nooko_s spirit is. _Everyone who has passed is there._ _All who are there are happy._ For many nights the boys returned to the meadow. And one special night they stayed very late. That night a beautiful show of lights filled the sky. _The northern lights,_ began Niigaanii, _are the spirits of all of our relatives who have passed on._ _Do you see them?_ he asked. _Yes, I do,_ said Bineshiinh. _And what are they doing?_ asked Niigaanii. _I think they are dancing,_ said Bineshiinh. And that is what they were doing. Excerpted from The Forever Sky by Thomas Peacock All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
