"Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults" is a fascinating and well-written book that would be excellent for library programs and classroom settings. It gently and peacefully introduces Indigenous knowledge to young readers. Having loved the original "Braiding Sweetgrass," I found this adaptation a wonderful way to share its teachings with younger audiences. Applicable and engaging for all ages, this book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in Indigenous wisdom.

I cannot rave about this novel enough! It's beautiful and full of wisdom and knowledge. It may be my must read of 2024. I love how this novel blends together poetry, illustrations, vocabulary, thought-provoking questions, story telling and so much knowledge. I learned so much from this book and have so many things to ponder now about my own life and my own connection to nature.

I am 100% thinking of a way to use this in my classroom soon! It's so powerful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to listen to in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great book for everyone- not just young readers. I love the narrator and the emotion she brings to the book. The book itself has so much information - personal, historical, educational. It's an incredible resource. I would have loved to have the physical copy beside me while listening as I know the layout would make it even more engaging.

I loved Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, so I'm thrilled there's now a young adult version I can hand to my kids. I love how Robin shares her wisdom through her words, and Monique Gray Smith has done an excellent job adapting the material for a younger audience. Indigenous wisdom is so important and vital, and I'm excited to share this new version of an old favorite with the next generation. The audiobook makes all this information super accessible, especially to young people who don't love traditional reading. (For example, my middle son has dyslexia, so reading is challenging, but he loves listening to audiobooks.)

This was an important and thought-provoking book that I would recommend to anyone. I will be buying a print copy for my kids. I listened to the audio and I'm not sure this is the right subject matter for me to consume in audio. The ideas in the book were compelling from the beginning but the pacing and narration made it a very slow, flat start for me. That said, I'm so glad that I kept listening because it does pick up and include some very engaging stories that will stick with me for a while - especially those about the three sisters and the study measuring sweetgrass growth. There were some powerful examples of how we have ignored what Indigenous people have learned from thousands of years of observing, learning and sharing and what respectful care of the earth's gifts could look like. There are some great discussion and reflection questions and calls to actions that would be great conversation starters with kids.

Some things I will be thinking about: understanding food and nature as gifts, a different view of the power of gratitude, responsible reciprocity, the beauty of interdependency, and so much more. I'll also be considering more about what responsible consumption could look like - examining the scarcity mindset that capitalism encourages and considering the principles of "take only what is given, take only what you need, don't take the first or last, don't take more than half."

Ultimately this book made me think A LOT and also offered much hope. I think it could inspire great conversation and inspiration for responsible action by young adults.

I read Braiding Sweetgrass and was eager to revisit this version for a younger audience. I cannot recommend this audiobook (or the original adult edition) highly enough. Such wisdom and perspective. A must read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer adapted by Monique Gray Smith. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Monique Gray Smith and it was great! It was so interesting to learn about Indigenous culture and practices with plants. It’s important for people to have a good relationship with nature. This relationship relates to capitalism and climate change. I liked how this book showcased the importance of learning and how treating plants and animals as people and not objects improves that relationship. It was interesting to learn about specific plants like the maple tree, cedar tree and sweetgrass. I would love to check out the print version too to see the illustrations.

I really enjoyed this audiobook and especially the first half of it, towards the second half some of the ideas seemed to be repeating and recycling but it was still an interesting and important read on how we should co-exist with the natural world. It's always so interesting to me how language evolves and we always try to discover new terms to accommodate our findings. Monique Gray Smith was probably the best narrator for this book with her calm and soothing voice.

I read the original Braiding Sweetgrass before the hype and I absolutely loved it. When I saw this version for young adults I decided to revisit a book I loved in a different way.

Through NetGalley I was able to listen to the audio version and I really enjoyed it as well. It took me back to my original reading with some of the stories but others were made easier to understand and I appreciate that. I definitely feel this is a solid adaptation of an amazing book for young adults. The messages within are amazing and I can’t find anything to complain about at all.

“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.”

Having loved the original, I wondered how the YA version would stand up.

Would it have anything new to teach me, or would it be a trimmed-down version?

Yes, to both.

Not only is this version accessible to a wider audience, there are several new essays that make it, altogether, a distinct experience.

I’m so happy to have access to Dr Kimmerer’s wealth of knowledge, both for me, and my kids.

9/10

Thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this stunning ARC.

“Why is the world so beautiful is a question I hope we are all exploring."

Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults is an enlightening collection of lessons and wisdom. With chapters built on Indigenous practices, knowledge, and stories, Robin Wall Kimmerer engages readers in the wonders of the environment. The "Call to Action" at the end of each section is an effective way to deepen and encourage understanding of the covered principles of ecology, sustainability, inclusivity, and reciprocity. Presenting complex ideas of conscious consumerism, ceremony, and even patience to middle-grade readers was done exquisitely in this book. I, as an educator, learned a great deal and I wholeheartedly recommend this for adaption in science, history, and/or inquiry curriculums.

I took down more quotes than normal from this work. It is packed with scientific evidence and examples to illustrate the current commodification of nature and capitalism. It then provides inspiration for how to reverse these societal trends on individual and community levels. Go get a copy now!

5/5

4.25 stars

This was a great book. I’ve actually already purchased a copy for my classroom and will be looking for opportunities to incorporate excepts of the text into some of my classes. The text is interesting and well-written. I haven’t read the original version and actually found myself forgetting that this was an edition of the text adapted for young adults; that was nice because, while it is definitely written in a way that is accessible to younger readers, it also didn’t feel juvenile. I appreciated the division and structure of the chapters throughout and feel like I started to learn about valuable ideas within Indigenous knowledge. I’m glad I was able to read and review a copy of this new book.

This was an absolutely lovely listen. Storytelling, indigenous and family history, science and nature, ethics, philosophy, it seemed to have a little bit of everything. It's rare to come across anything in life that seems to be purely moving towards good, and this book is that to me. A force of kindness, thoughtfulness, and care for the land and each other as its legacy. If everyone read this book and took one thing in it to heart, the world would be a better place. Honest, hopeful and intelligent. Also, the narration was beautiful and calming. Huge fan.

Braiding Sweetgrass is a generalized teaching of many Native American values. The traditional ways to do things, even in this modern world.

Some of the teachings are:
1. Reciprocity to the land and to the Earth. For anything the land gives you, you give a gift in kind to thank the land.
2. We can find anything we need from the land, though maybe not as easily as a store, unless you know how to forage. Medicines, food, even building supplies can be found for those that look.
3. The four directions represent specific entities, such as the Earth and the Sky.
4. The many stories as told by the Ojibwe.

Some of these things are natural for me, but some I will be thinking on and trying to incorporate them in my daily life. The stories are beautiful, and I’ve learned many things from listening to this book. It is geared more toward Indigenous Youths, to guide them on their life paths.

The narrator did a fantastic job with this book. She did adapt it for young adults, so it makes sense that she knows the material well. She did a great job at that also.

I recommend this definitely for Indigenous Youths, and for any adults that would like to learn more of Native Ways.

I honestly thought I would really enjoy this book but it just didn't "click" with me. That doesn't mean it was a bad book with terrible writing, it just means I personally started and stopped the book multiple times to get through it.

I can understand how the book would/could be very informative and used within the STEM field. I would recommend this book to be used in high school's or undergrads to show another viewpoint and provide some background on Native American Tribes/Nations and how nature is a part of their culture.

The narrator was good and aptly chosen, their voice was easy to follow and conveyed the story well. I started at normal speed and then sped up to 2.o.

I absolutely loved this book. It's fascinating and informative. It's written in a way that helps readers, young and old, grasp the concepts both the scientific ones and the indigenous ones.
I would say listening to it as an audiobook had a downside in that I wanted to write and underline and highlight and couldn't.
I love that this is nonfiction scientific reading woven with storytelling, and memoir. As an English teacher especially I see such potential for this text to be used.
I especially am so excited that this is from a member of the Potowatomi peoples as the land I live on and work on was own caretaken by those peoples.
There are unfortunately not many indigenous pieces of literature that are being discussed when it comes to YA literature and school curriculum and this one is one that I am so incredibly excited about bringing into my classroom!

I may not be the target audience since I’m neither North American nor a member of an indigenous culture, but I still think that this transference of information over cultures and (in my case) the Atlantic Ocean is good. To know more about the world is important, and to have the chance to learn something new, about thousand-year-old traditions is fantastic! I’m glad I stumbled upon this book.

I thought the narrator – Monique Grey Smith – did a great job but it sounded like she was on the verge of tearing up throughout the reading. I hope she’s alright. Since the book is fairly autobiographical perhaps it would have been a good idea to have the author herself narrate it.

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,

Braiding Sweetgrass weaves together stories about nature with botany and indigenous beliefs about the world around us. The audiobook narrator did a great job of bringing the author's words to life. This is a book that not only makes you appreciate the environment but it gives readers the drive to fight for its protection. You'll want to go for a hike and stop to admire everything you see along the way! You will definitely have a new appreciation for all of Earth's wonders.

Thanks to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy.

I haven't read the original version of this, but I can say that this was definitely written well for young readers. The content is presented in a very accessible way. I also appreciated the reflections/calls to action at the end of each chapter.

I would highly recommend this one to teens and as an addition to classrooms!