Spirit Shadow

by Ginger Reno, Mary Lupton (Illustrator)

An Indigenous child discovers her heritage in this story about the power of our ancestors and the way they guide and shapes us, even when we don’t know it yet.

Willa has always had two shadows. One at her feet and another that’s been quietly beside her since the night of her birth. Always just out of reach.

Until Mom and Willa take a trip to Diligwa, a replica of an ancient Cherokee village. And it’s here among wattle and daub houses and brown hands crafting, Willa realizes that Spirit is her ancestors, beckoning her to claim her Cherokee heritage. For Willa to join a Nation over 400,000 strong.

Beautifully told, Spirit Shadow is a powerful tale about reclaiming culture and finding your way home. Lovingly illustrated by debut illustrator Mary Lupton, each spread is a feast for the eyes. Filled with nods to Cherokee beadwork and weaving as well as Cherokee syllabary, Willa’s story is suffused with love and tenderness. The book ends with a moving conclusion for children everywhere to embrace their own ancestors.

Back matter includes a note about Diligwa and the Cherokee Nation.

Genres: Picture Books, Indigenous

32 pages, Hardcover

Published March 17, 2026

About the author

Ginger Reno has always been a writer – it just took a while for her to figure that out. (Her first clue should have been her family always calling her “the wordy one.”) An enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation, her desire to learn about Cherokee history and culture has naturally spilled over into her writing. FIND HER, her debut novel, is part of that journey. Ginger lives in northeast Oklahoma within the Cherokee Nation and likes to spend as much time as possible on her lakefront porch with her two favorite people—her husband and their twelve-year-old German shepherd.

Reviews

[A.J. Eversole]

"What was never lost was who we are."

Cue me sobbing.

This book is beautiful and gorgeous and will be read to my kids all the time. As someone who was a Cherokee child and now a Cherokee mother, the character of Spirit is someone I know personally as well. Spirit follows Willa from birth, revealed to be the spirit of her ancestor, there to guide her. Willa is able to connect with her after visiting a replica Cherokee village.

It speaks to remembrance, resilience, not forgetting, the ache of missing a place you never got to know... I hope it speaks to everyone who reads it.

[Bookworm4Life]

A story involving a young Cherokee girl and how she discovers her Native American culture and its significance in her life and history. This is a good book to use to introduce Native American children to their tribe and cultures.