Remember by Joy Harjo and Michaela Goade - OPTIONAL

 

Remember by Joy Harjo, illustrated by Michaela Goade. PICTURE BOOK/POETRY. Random House Studio, 2023. $18.99. ISBN 9780593484845

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL – OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Originally published in 1983, U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo’s poem asks us to remember: the sky, the moon, the sun, your mother, your father, the earth, other living things, the wind, other people. Remember how we are all connected. They are in us and we in them. 

The Tlingit-inspired illustrations are bold and colorful. The author’s and artist’s notes at the end point out their Native American heritage (Harjo is Mvskoke) and share insights about their inspirations. It is important for everyone to be reminded to remember and make connections. Teachers could use this book to inspire students to think and write about their own special memories, be they universal or personal, ancestral or familial.

Reviewer: P.K. Foster, MLS, elementary school teacher-librarian