SOL 19/31: Book Connections

One of our grandsons was here for a visit this afternoon. When asked about the books he wanted to read, he wanted to read Halloween books. So we went upstairs to where I have the seasonal books on a special shelf. He chose four favorites.

Then it was my turn to choose a book from the basket of books currently checked out from the library.

I was just a few words in when I knew this was a poetic book. When I turned to the last page, I discovered the music for this book/song by internationally renowned Cree singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie. It's a "...love letter celebrating seasons, place, Indigenous traditions, and community. Of summer flowers turning fields to sun, and hearts filled with drumbeats, Read it. Sing it. Share it." 

These words from the book jacket resonated with me because Aunt Nan and Uncle Jim often took us to the Tulsa Powwow at Mohawk Park in the 60s. I can still hear the drums, the singers, the shuffling feet, and see the beautiful costumes of the native dancers.

When we finished the book, I asked Jack to guess which animal from the book we saw yesterday on our drive home from the retreat. We started at the beginning of the book, looking for animals on each page. 

"Beavers?"

"No."   

"Geese?"

"No."

"Whales?"

"No."

"Rabbits?" 

"No."

"Buffalo?" 

"YES!"

When we passed buffalo on the drive home, I immediately broke into the chant from my high school days: "Go, you mighty buffaloes, go, go, go!" We were the Buffs. 

Once I shared the buffalo pics with Jack, we looked at the song lyrics at the end of the book. I commented that maybe his dad would play it for us. Grandpa suggested that we ask Siri to play it and sure enough, quick as a wink, we were listening to the song by Cree singer/songwriter/author, Buffy Sainte-Marie.

Still This Love Goes On prompted these connections: 1) a memory from my childhood, 2) sharing of yesterday's buffalo sighting, and 3) listening to the song by Buffy Sainte-Marie. This song/book, beautifully illustrated by Julie Flett, will encourage you to think about the people and places you love most. It would be interesting to pair it with All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan and illustrated by Mike Wimmer for a companion book study.