A great introduction to the source materials for young audiences. Kimmerer's original title was very approachable, but this one opens the door for younger readers to connect with the natural worlds around them and their intrinsic connection to Indigenous communities. This is a particularly salient topic as it comes from a descendent of a boarding school and with everything going around those in the news, it is good for young native kids to be able to see that they can go on, grow, and be both part of the wider world and their local tribal one.

This is a great way to make the Braiding Sweetgrass book more accessible for younger learners. As an educator, I am a big fan of this work and would recommend it to my students.

Even by just one chapter I can tell this is going to be a wonderful adaptation of the original that will inspire many young readers

I enjoyed this — I think I would get more out of the adult version. Both versions are nice to have in our library though, and a few students have picked this up and read it while in the library.

Indigenous scientist Robin Wall Kimmerer shows how all living things have a lesson to share with us. Masterfully adapted by award-winning Indigenous author for youth, Monique Gray Smith.

This book was extremely impactful, and I feel like it is a must read (or listen) for everyone. I personally consumed this as an audiobook and I felt that I gained so much wisdom and respect for the Earth. I feel like this book was very well written and such a beautiful work of art. I definitely recommend this book even though non-fiction isn’t my genre on choice.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review,

Synergy: Indigenous Wisdom

INDIGENOUS WISDOM is the knowledge, skills, and philosophies preserved by the Native people of Earth. Handed down over thousands of generations, this wisdom places emphasis on the interconnectedness of all things in nature.

Read the recently published young adult adaptation of a popular nonfiction work for adults, then learn more at the website:

BRAIDING SWEETGRASS FOR YOUNG ADULTS by Robin Wall Kimmerer shares indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants. As an adaptation of the popular adult title, Monique Gray Smith effectively speaks to young people while maintaining Kimmerer’s message. The text uses meeting, planning, tending, picking, braiding and burning sweetgrass as a theme that weaves together anecdotes, traditional stories, engaging facts, and global understandings to introduce students to the idea that all living things are connected. Sidebars, reflective questions, and illustrations contribute to the appeal for young adult audiences. ARC courtesy of Zest Books, an imprint of Learner Publishing Group.

I MUST RETURN THE GIFT by Phoebe Lyn Pinkner connects excerpts from Braiding Sweetgrass with nature video clips to create a compelling short film.

To watch the short film, go to https://vimeo.com/639233670.

KITCHEN TABLE V2 is a video sharing the process of adapting Braiding Sweetgrass for young people.

To watch the video, go to https://youtu.be/Jpq8ruxpqew.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults is a condensed version of Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This books asks questions of the reader about how choices impact the earth, the resources and what little things can be done to make a big difference. It's helpful for people to see how the earth can take care of us if we can take of it.

I enjoyed this book for the illustrations and the unique way of presenting the material. I have read the adult version of the book so I knew what the book was about. I found the presentation in this young adult version more approachable. I teach horticultural therapy to college students and I would absolutely recommend this book to them. We all need to connect more with nature and respect the wisdom of those before us and this book delivers in both ways.

Reading this immediately after Angeline Boulley’s “Firekeeper’s Daughter” was a perfect pairing for Native American Heritage Month. Reading a story about an Anishanaabe girl followed by an exploration of how Indigenous people, including the Anishanaabe, care for their land was symbiotic in a way.

I love how this book explored how folklore belies traditional knowledge belies science. It’s all connected. And the ability to treat our world better by acknowledging that we are a cog in a system, not the owners of the system, is impactful. I chose to read the young adult version of this book because I am tired of adults who will be continually stuck in their ways. This book is better off in the hands of the next generations who may actually take lessons from it and improve the destruction we’ve wrought. This book belongs in biology classrooms, serving as a model for investigation and respect for the land. And it belongs in history classrooms, and current events classes, and English classes as folklore, and religion classes if schools have those. Any place this knowledge can be shared can help improve the way we interact with our planet, bc we can’t keep going in this trajectory.

We studied Braiding Sweetgrass in a small group at church. The stories and reflections touched me and allowed me to experience my place in creation in new ways. This book for young adults/high school students allows the message to be accessible and shape younger people. I enjoyed reading parts of it to my first grade granddaughter too. The words are visual and moving.

#BraidingSweetgrassforYoungAdults #NetGalley

For my high school writing students, I will likely use the original version of BRAIDING SWEETGRASS. However, for younger writers (and my own nieces and nephews), this is a perfect addition to bookshelves! It's gorgeously written and connects the content with the reader in such a beautiful way.

Truthfully I did not read the entire book before being archived, but I was enjoying what I read. I will check this out from the library to try again because I felt like it was so different from the original book. I would love to see them both side by side.
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to review this book!
Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults by Robin Wall Kimmerer; Monique Gray Smith. #BraidingSweetgrassforYoungAdults #NetGalley

This book is phenomenal to get young readers involved in the topic of indigenous knowledge. Although it is not the original book it includes all the information but in a way that is more accessible to young adults.

My Thoughts:

Like How to be a (Young) Antiracist, this non fiction, indigenous perspective adaptation of the adult book is meant to be more palatable to young adults. The difference is that I have read and wrote about the original Braiding Sweetgrass. The connections between storytelling and indigenous truth telling through botanic metaphor in the original book is so powerful that for me, the adaptation was too watered down. The teachings were filtered through someone else rather than through my own indigenous transaction with Kimmerer's text.

I believe this is a well meaning way to open the door for our middle grade students, but I would also encourage high school teachers in science and language arts to use the stories from the adult book in their classroom. Kimmerer is a born storyteller. The power of the transaction between reader and author is difficult to adapt down. Long after I read the original I continued to find random notes around the house with page numbers and thoughts. That is the power of transactional reading.

p. 159

A theory, to scientists, means something rather different from its popular use, which suggests something speculative or untested. Grounded theory – in [is?] the traditional ecological knowledge of indigenous peoples. If we use a plant respectfully, it will flourish. If we ignore it, it will go away. When you pick the flower for a lei, for example, the tree will produce more flowers. A tree where the flowers are not picked and valued seems to eventually disappear.

p. 134

The most important thing each of us can know is our unique gift and how to use it in the world. Individuality is cherished and nurtured, because, in order for the whole to flourish, each of us has to be strong in the who we are and carry our gifts with conviction, so they can be shared with others. In reciprocity, we fill our spirits as well as our bellies.

p. 104

We are showered every day with gifts, but they are not meant for us to keep. Their life is in their movement, the inhale and exhale of our shared breath. Our work and our joy is to pass along the gift and to trust that what we put out into the universe always comes back.

p. 174

Political action , civic engagement – these are powerful acts of reciprocity with the land. The Maple Nation Bill of Responsibilities asks us to stand up for The Standing People, to lead with the wisdom of Maples.

p. 179

Not everything should be convenient. [The difficulty of digging is an important constraint]

From the Publisher:
Drawing from her experiences as an Indigenous scientist, botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer demonstrated how all living things―from strawberries and witch hazel to water lilies and lichen―provide us with gifts and lessons every day in her best-selling book Braiding Sweetgrass. Adapted for young adults by Monique Gray Smith, this new edition reinforces how wider ecological understanding stems from listening to the earth’s oldest teachers: the plants around us. With informative sidebars, reflection questions, and art from illustrator Nicole Neidhardt, Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults brings Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the lessons of plant life to a new generation.

Publication information:
Author: Robin Kimmerer; adapted by Monique Gray Smith

Illustrator: Nicole Neidhardt

Publisher: Zest Books

Publication date: November 1, 2022

If I was an educator of young people, I would want this book as part of my curriculum. The narrative is beautifully adapted without being condescending. The text is accompanied by lovely illustrations and photographs, word boxes with clarifying definitions, and thoughtful questions to ponder at the end of each chapter or section.

What a marvelous accompaniment to Kimmerer's original book! Highly recommended to those who teach or those who are interested in learning about and keeping Indigenous wisdom and traditions alive and utilized in our world.

#NetGalley #BraidingSweetgrassForYoungAdults

I enjoyed how this book made Robin Wall Kimmerer's original work accessible to a younger audience. I think that adults who want the same wisdom from the original with more explanations and reflection built into the reading, will enjoy it as well. I love the idea of learning from plants and nature and approaching science through the telling of stories.

I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it! I did not read the adult version of this book, but I felt like this was an age-appropriate introduction to Native practices and how they relate to the science we are familiar with. Kimmerer did an excellent job introducing concepts that non-Native readers probably wouldn't be familiar with and tying them together with ideas that are commonplace in US culture along with offering alternative practices and thought-provoking questions. Undoubtedly a book that should be in every library!

Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults is a generous and rich collection of stories and indigenous wisdom written and curated by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer and adapted from her book Braiding Sweetgrass. Released 1st Nov 2022 by Lerner on their Zest imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in paperback, library binding, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This book combines folkloric wisdom as it intersects science/botany and the deep longing most people feel to *belong* to something larger than the individual. Throughout the book there are stories handed down in an unbroken chain through oral tradition as well as practical knowledge. It's a hopeful, gentle book full of optimism. 

Graphically, it's quite appealing, with pages broken up into sidebars and text boxes, interspersed with line drawn illustrations by Nicole Neidhardt. The author has also included an abbreviated bibliography and links for further reading. 

Five stars. This would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, or possibly as a support/adjunct resource for related classroom study (world cultures, comparative religion, history, ecology/science, etc). The book is adapted for ~12-18 year olds, but there are valuable takeaways here for all ages.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I've been meaning to read the original Braiding Sweetgrass for so long. Braided grass is such an effective metaphor for this book, wherein Indigenous botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer braids indigenous wisdom, science, and her personal connection with plants into essay/chapters compelling to read and absorb. This YA edition adapted by Monique Gray Smith adds discussion prompts, key concept sidebars, and arresting illustrations by Nicole Neidhardt. The 1,2,3 punch of science, story, and indigenous insight works just as well here. I will definitely recommend this to my educator friends and to colleagues in the literary journal world, too. This is an adaptation done right.

[Thanks to Lerner Books and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]