We Are Water Protectors Book

We Are Water Protectors
Carole Lindstrom
Art: Michaela Goade

Winner of the Caldecott Medal for children’s book illustration.

Tells the true story of Indigenous water protectors resisting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock. Gorgeous illustrations depict details of the author’s Anishinaabe/Ojibwe culture. The book is accessible to young readers with its short, repetitive text reminding us all that Indigenous people continue to survive and lead humanity in stewardship of the Earth. Included in the back is additional information about water protectors, the Seven Fires prophecy that foretold the harm to the Earth associated with oil pipelines, a glossary, and an Earth Steward and Water Protector Pledge.

"Powerful....Goade’s illustrations combine a mystical mood with the lovely fierceness of a child seeking justice." —The New York Times

"This book will both educate and inspire youth." —School Library Journal

"In this tribute to Native resilience, Indigenous author-and-illustrator team Lindstrom and Goade invite readers to stand up for environmental justice. An inspiring call to action for all who care about our interconnected planet."—starred review, Kirkus Reviews

"Goade’s watercolor illustrations fill the spreads with streaming ribbons of water, cosmic backdrops, and lush natural landscapes.... Lindstrom’s spare, poetic text flows with the “river’s rhythm." Written in response to the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, famously protested by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe—and others—these pages carry grief, but it is overshadowed by hope in what is an unapologetic call to action." —starred review, Booklist

"Observation is not enough, the book communicates: action is necessary... A passionate call for environmental stewardship." —starred review, Publishers Weekly

Hardcover, 10x10, 40pp., 2020.

Ages 4-10