I have so much to say, but I will start with I love this book! It’s such an inclusive look at how some Indigenous folks celebrate and feel about Christmas and winter celebrations.

I loved Baby and how as they learned their language, we got to learn too! It’s such a genuine and sweet way to see how Indigenous language revitalization has been happening and continuing to encourage people to learn them.

This past summer, I got to spend a lot of time with my family because my dad took time off work and I was still working as a substitute so had a very flexible schedule and I learned so much about my grandparents, including pieces of their childhoods that they don’t often talk about. I randomly and kind of by accident found out that my grandpa actually remembers some Cree, so we got to share some words together. I’m not Cree, but because of books like this one that include Indigenous languages, I got to have a conversation with my Métis grandpa.

Along with the language aspect of this book, there was a part about how home is where we live and where we come from that really struck me hard. I didn’t grow up on the rez (like Baby), but whenever I visit there- or even just visiting my grandparents at their place in the middle of nowhere- I feel that sense of home, of true belonging. I don’t live there, but I feel at home there.

So much of this book just felt so authentic to my own experience and made me feel so seen. It’s such a cute little story that I think speaks to so many big topics.

Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough. In fact, it’s one of those books that I’m going to need to be to physically have it and hold it in my hands.

This is a wonderful holiday book about how Anishinaabe celebrate Christmas. The artwork is beautiful and perfectly captures the story. The story cleverly teaches readers about Anishinaabe culture by having baby's parents teach him during a car ride to his grandparents house. This would be a great book for read alouds!

This was an absolutely adorable addition to the Christmas canon. A sweet story that shows an Anishinaabe family celebrating Christmas on the Rez, this was charming, and beautifully illustrated.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This enjoyable book about Christmas is full of beautiful pictures and lovely teachings. It's always nice to read about different ways that people celebrate, and this book is no exception. A great picture book that would be a welcome addition to any library.

Very cute story of a family going home to the Rez from the city for Christmas. Love the Anishinaabe words and phrases sprinkled throughout the book. Back matter explains how many Indigenous people celebrate the winter solstice, which often is intertwined with the Christian celebration of Christmas. Illustrations are great! The book will appeal to children ages 4-7 and their educators. A great addition to picture books by and about Indigenous peoples.

This was a fantastic children's holiday story. I haven't seen many Indigenous holiday stories so I hope this is the beginning of filling that gap. This book follows a little boy returning home to the Rez to spend the holidays with his family and community and immerse in culture. Thank you so much for this ARC opportunity and I can't wait to get this on the kiddo's shelf.

This book tells the story of a family going to the Rez for Christmas. The main character, Baby, learns about family, generosity and home through conversations in the car ride. He learns some Anishinaabe words and learns about his culture as well. The illustrations are great and the story is a really nice one. I think this would be a fabulous addition to my classroom library and could definitely see myself reading this specifically because there are so many Christmas books out there, but I don’t have any from an Indigenous perspective. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this beautiful book.

There aren't many indigenous holiday stories and I was excited to see this one available on NetGalley! The art and words are simple enough for pre-k and up. The book is beautifully written and introduces Anishinaabe words as part of the story. The words are repeated as well for further practice with younger children. This book is a must for a diverse collection.

review will be posted October
An Anishinaabe Christmas speaks from a general perspective. Obviously not every Ojibwe person is on the same path. At the end the author tells its readers that Anishinaabe are trying to reclaim the winter solstice. But the story also describes the parts of the what that means

Family / Makwa

Giving / Miigiwe

Togetherness. Home / Giiwedaa

Many things that people can take for granted, but sharing the importance and understanding of the story of the book is really nice.

I really enjoyed this book. Children will often identify with characters that look like them, and hopefully as more childrens books are published with Indigenous characters teaching the lessons that the elders who aren't able to teach any longer will help re/unify the families and their children through their identity.

The artwork is also lovely. I especially like the way the "Christmas" trees are draw. The line work is never perfect but it adds to a child-like whimsy.

This is a wonderful book that teaches us about the meaning of traditions in the Anishinaabe culture while also teaching us some of their words and meaning and the origins explanation at the end of the book is great as well —It is important that we learn about the cultures of the aboriginal people of the countries we reside or come from. The art in the book is also very nice —there is reminiscence of aboriginals style of art found in other forms of artwork like rug hooking, sculpture, beading etc. — this is a fun story for children while also being educational.

I have read a few books on the Anishinaabe tribe and I find it fascinating. This children’s book was no exception. The illustrations are beautiful and the message, like all the books I have read, focus on tradition and family. Giving and caring. I also like that the reader is introduced to new words that are important to maintaining culture. The only element I miss was a glossary in the back that helped pronounce the words. Overall, this story is perfect for young kids and give them a basic understanding of tribes that maintain generations of family values.
Thank you #netgalley #penguinrandomhouseofcanada for the ARC of this wonderful book