Description
Winner of the 2025 Richard Allen Chase Memorial Award
Remember the hummingbird's teachings. Remember you are loved.
Kokum warned us to watch out for one another. If we weren't careful, Windigo would eat us. But one night, alone in the darkness, I felt its breath on my neck. Windigo's lies crept into my heart, and I believed them. When we lose connection with others, we lose ourselves, and Windigo's darkness grows and spreads.
In this deeply emotional and beautifully illustrated picture book, the ancestors send a hummingbird to a child lost in Windigo’s darkness. Its teachings of resilience, love and connection bring the child home and remind us that our ancestors are always watching and can help us find our way if we only ask.
This bilingual book includes full text in both English and Anishinaabemowin.
Author Bio
Dr. Jennifer Leason is an off-reserve member of Minegoziibe Anishinabe (Pine Creek First Nation) in Manitoba, and the proud mother of Lucas and Lucy. Dr. Leason is the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Maternal Child Wellness and an associate professor at the University of Calgary. She is the author and illustrator of Meennunyakaa / Blueberry Patch. She lives in Treaty 6 Territory.
Norman Chartrand is Anishinaabe and an off-reserve member of Minegoziibe Anishinabe (Pine Creek First Nation), Manitoba. He is Jennifer Leason's great-uncle and the son of Elise Beauchamp and Arthur Jacque (Jimmy) Chartrand. Elise Beauchamp was the daughter of Philoméne Klyne and Jean Beauchamp (son of Nancy Chartrand and Joseph Beauchamp). Arthur Jacque Chartrand was the son of Julia Brass (daughter of Julia McLeod of Pelly and George Brass) and William Gédeon Chartrand (son of Sophie Genaille and William Chartrand).
Prizes
- Bank Street College of Education Children's Book Committee Best Children's Books of the YearCommended 2025
- Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) Richard Allen Chase Memorial AwardWinner 2025
- CCBC Best Books for Kids & TeensCommended 2025
- Indigenous Voices Awards (IVA) - Published prose in EnglishShort-listed 2025
- First Nation Communities Read Awards (FNCR) - Children’sShort-listed 2026
- International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Canada - From Sea to Sea to Sea: Celebrating Indigenous Picture BooksCommended 2025
Review Quotes
“Teaches self-resilience, love, and connection [and] integrates beautiful illustrations in an Indigenous style. Highly recommended.”
— CM: Canadian Review of Materials“Jennifer Leason has done a powerful job writing and illustrating this touching dual-language book. The message is strong in the simplicity of the writing, and the illustrations are rich and expressive in conveying the emotions within the story. This title is perfect for exposing children to another language and for Anishinaabemowin language learners of any age…highly recommended for home, school, and public libraries.”
— Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) Canadian Children’s Book News“The palette moves from light in the beginning to dark tones when the Windigo has her, then back to lighter tones as she escapes. A stunning book.”
— School Library Journal (SLJ)Biographical note
Dr. Jennifer Leason is an off-reserve member of Minegoziibe Anishinabe (Pine Creek First Nation) in Manitoba, and the proud mother of Lucas and Lucy. Dr. Leason is the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Maternal Child Wellness and an associate professor at the University of Calgary. She is the author and illustrator of Meennunyakaa / Blueberry Patch. She lives in Treaty 6 Territory.
Norman Chartrand is Anishinaabe and an off-reserve member of Minegoziibe Anishinabe (Pine Creek First Nation), Manitoba. He is Jennifer Leason's great-uncle and the son of Elise Beauchamp and Arthur Jacque (Jimmy) Chartrand. Elise Beauchamp was the daughter of Philoméne Klyne and Jean Beauchamp (son of Nancy Chartrand and Joseph Beauchamp). Arthur Jacque Chartrand was the son of Julia Brass (daughter of Julia McLeod of Pelly and George Brass) and William Gédeon Chartrand (son of Sophie Genaille and William Chartrand).
