Remember

This book makes me weep for its beauty. It creates a mood, recognition, memories. It is a book that speaks to our times:

“Remember you are all people and all people are you.”

Joy Harjo’s poem honors our deep histories and connection to our home.

“Remember the sky that you were born under,
know each of the star’s stories.”

You ask, how? Read this book, savor Michaela Goade’s illustrations. Lush colors, pages suffused with light and dark.

illustration © copyright Michaela Goade from Remember, written by Joy Harjo, published by Random House Studio, 2023

The endpapers as the book begins are deeply night with hints of feathers or wings. By the end of the book, the endpapers are shining, swirling with light, and those feathers are whole, ready for us to put in our pockets.

To respect the book’s creators, I am sharing only one of the double-paged spreads but I had a hard time choosing. There is so much meaning and emotion on each page. Look closely. Find your reasons to think about the images that are woven into the art.

In the end matter, Harjo shares that she honors the poetry and songs of her mother and her Mvskoke tradition. “‘Remember’ came into the world to remind me who I am as a human being living on this generous earth.” Poems written with her clarity reach deeply inside each of us, stirring memory and hope.

In the Artist’s Note, Goade writes about her inspirations, the deep traditions of her Tlingit people from whom her artwork draws its imagery.

From this book, I learned about Formline, a “traditional art style belonging to many of the Indigenous Nations along the Pacific Northwest coast, including Tlingit. Formline is a unique, complex art form imbued with cultural meaning, history, and protocol.”

I immediately searched for more information about Formline. Protocol? History? You’ve seen this art. Remember brings the art into the story where it enhances our understanding.

This is an ideal gift book for children and adults, for yourself. It is a book filled with the beauty of words, art, and understanding.

So much about our lives to remember, and honor, no matter how many years we have.

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Remember
written by Joy Harjo
illustrated by Michaela Goade
Random House Studio, 2023

Thanks to my subscribers who keep me writing about what I’m reading. From your support, I have found great joy for more than a year now. I honor you and your own reading. Remember.