This Land Is a Lullaby

by Tonya Simpson, Delree Dumont (illustrator)

As daylight fades to dusk and slips into darkness, this gentle lullaby celebrates the sounds of the Prairies and the Plains on a stormy summer's night.


From the hum of dragonflies to the drumming of thunder, with grasses swirling and the northern lights glimmering, This Land Is a Lullaby shares a song and dance—a gift from the ancestors that soothes children to sleep and reminds them of their deeply rooted connections to the land.


Written as a lullaby for the author's daughter and featuring striking pointillism artwork, this lush lullaby of the land honors the beauty of the Prairies and the Plains and the spiritual connection between Indigenous children, ancestors and their Traditional Territories.

Genres: Picture Books, Indigenous, Childrens, Environment, Female Authors, Storytime, Native American

32 pages, Hardcover

Published September 17, 2024

Reviews

[Carol Farrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books based on First Nations/Native Peoples stories, especially when written and illustrated by people belonging to these groups as it adds authenticity and depth to the books. This is one of those. It is a song/story by a mother to her young child.
The pointillism style of artwork is unique and gorgeous and perfectly suits the story.

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gorgeous book!!!

I have never seen such amazing, unique illustrations before and I will be looking for more art work like this [I would love to own a picture made by this artist] in future children's books!

This is a lovely story, a beautiful calm tale about the land and it's inhabitants, the beauty that surrounds us, and all we can see and hear if we are just silent.

Written in both English and Cree [I would love to learn Cree after all of these lovely children's books that have been using the language; it is so intriguing to me, and I am so glad that the language has not been lost and is being taught to new generations], this is a lovely way to introduce littles to the Cree language and culture and to stories that are told and passed down by Indigenous Peoples.

I highly recommend this absolutely fabulous book!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Tonya Simpson, Dorothy Thunder - Translator, Delree Dumont - Illustrator, and Orca Book Publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[A.J. Eversole · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This land is a lullaby your heart already knows. You carry the song from a lifetime ago."


This picture book is stunning. The illustrations bring life to the gorgeous imagery of Cree homelands. With depictions of wild horses, loons and lakes, this story is easily a must have for a Native reader. Even if it doesn't represent their specific area of the land, its story is familiar and comforting. 


Would definitely recommend. It made my mama heart swell.

[ATLANTIC BOOK REVIEWS · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a lullaby to the sounds of the prairies on a stormy summer night.

A lullaby to the land and the connection between indigenous children, their ancestors and the land itself.

So beautifully told it lulled this adult into a soothing sense of calm.

The illustrations, rich in colour and detail, add to the beauty of the connections described by the words and strongly resemble the indigenous beadwork I so admire.

[Callie Wildermuth]

This Land Is a Lullaby is a gentle and poetic picture book that celebrates the deep connection between Indigenous families and the land. Through soothing verses, it highlights the ways in which nature—rivers, mountains, and skies—provides comfort, love, and a sense of home. The soft, warm illustrations beautifully complement the lyrical text, creating a peaceful and heartfelt reading experience. Perfect for bedtime, This Land Is a Lullaby is a touching tribute to nature, family, and tradition.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting and unique illustrations with dotted paint(?) details. The words are minimal, rhyming, and rhythmic, like a lullaby.

"This land is a lullaby your heart already knows.
You carry the song from a lifetime ago.
It flows in your blood and echoes in your soul.
Listen, my baby, to the sweet song of your home."

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Land is a Lullaby uses rhythm and rhyme to create a lullaby of the sights and sounds of the plains. Its biggest strength is the accompanying pointillism style artwork on each page, bringing life to the words with stunning images of the plains and of mother and baby. It's a beautiful little book for anyone who wants a lullaby story.

[Leilani Ortello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tonya Simpson’s This Land Is a Lullaby is a serene and poetic love letter to the Prairies and Indigenous heritage. Rich, rhythmic text paired with striking pointillism artwork immerses readers in a landscape alive with ancestral spirit. A soothing, beautiful reminder of the sacred connection between land, culture, and family.

[Sandra Appleby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Land is a Lullaby is a beautifully written reminder of the sacred role the Earth and the land we call home plays in our lives. The illustrations are gorgeous and match the mood of the text perfectly. The rhythm of the text flows with a couple of exceptions, each time taking me out of the story.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely.

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations of this book are so beautiful. I read it through Libby and was amazed by the art, I can't wait to see it the hard copy.

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the rhythm of the words and how they describe the many ways that life and the land provide musical meaning to the characters’ lives.

[SamSamSam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phonological awareness, vocabulary, SING

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, the art is amazing!

[Tuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

From onion lake cree perspective, mother tells and shows her daughter their land, history, and life ways. Illustrations are mind blowing, pointillist, but like three dimensional bead work. How?

[Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

the illustrations were gorgeous

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous picture book!

[Ameryn]

Sonia picked this out because she was drawn to the illustrations - really gorgeous in pointillism style.

[Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful little rhyming book perfect for a night time read.

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful lullaby and paintings.

[Theediscerning · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very decent book, but one probably not destined to exceed the limited reach of the specific communities it has been made both in and for. It's bilingual, English translated into Plains Cree (although apparently it's out as English-only, for some reason, as well), and is the voice of a mother lullabying her child to sleep with the awareness of the sounds of the local nature. As the child settles down there are the geese flying off and frogs, and at dusk owls clashing with coyote howls. A loon is heard during the night, and something more important for the attentive listener – the message of the ancestors proving the child's connection to both them and to the world around.

With rhyming couplets at the foot of the page the presentation gives precedence to the artwork, which is quite startling really – pointillist, but never in the old impressionist way. It looks like one of those beadwork craft creations, with dazzling spots of gem-like colour – at least for the characters concerned. Backgrounds are more routine acrylic, but still add to the appeal of this.

To my ignorant eye as a non-parent this could work as a lulling piece (even if some of the night-time scenes look very bright in the art here). To my ignorant ear this might not work as a lullaby in Cree – a language it seems that betters German for compound words. But to anyone it's clear this is from very competent Cree-speaking creatives, and that that market has been perfectly served – this stamps the link from the ancestors into the baby's mind in indelible fashion, and never has the "you and the land are one" message been so welcomingly presented. Culture-specific, yes, but still exceptional, this is something for a rarefied few to definitely take note of.

[Beckiezra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, probably should be rounded up for filling an important niche, keeping First Nation languages alive for future generations. I enjoyed some of the pointillism pictures more than others, generally the more colors the better, it’s not the best technique for hair. This is a book I’d really like to hear an audio version of to know what the Cree sounds like, I was pretty much ignoring half the book because I didn’t know the language and couldn’t guess how to pronounce the words. Does Cree do rhyming?

[A.J. Eversole · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This land is a lullaby your heart already knows. You carry the song from a lifetime ago."

This picture book is stunning. The illustrations bring life to the gorgeous imagery of Cree homelands. With depictions of wild horses, loons and lakes, this story is easily a must have for a Native reader. Even if it doesn't represent their specific area of the land, its story is familiar and comforting.

Would definitely recommend. It made my mama heart swell.

[Alanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both the illustrations and the words in this book were beautiful I really enjoyed the lyric nature of the book and the the style of illustrations really added to the flow of the work. I found myself looking at the pictures and thinking that they were of a style I would love to have displayed in my home. I also really appreciated the inclusion of the cree words alongside the english. I think this would be a great book for a family to read together at bedtime.

[Chantel (caffeineandcreating) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this so much. My kids aren’t little anymore but if they were I would read this to them all the time. The illustrations are beautiful and having the full text in both English and Cree made the book feel complete. Despite not having little ones anymore I will happily buy a copy to hold onto and enjoy.

[Mary C · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations are detailed and stunning, reflecting the cultural themes in the book.
Beautiful words, presented in English and Plains Cree, a lovely bedtime story, calm and serene.
#ThisLandisaLullaby #OrcaBookPublishers #NetGalley

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the calming, lyrical prose and beautiful, creative artwork in this book.