Northern Lights

Two Ojibway sisters go on a midnight adventure in the snowy north of Canada, to see the Northern Lights. ( )

Two young Ojibway sisters trek through the snow in the night to seek out the SkySpirits (the Northern Lights). Lovely, with gorgeous illustrations. ( )

Two sisters traveled up Coyote Hill on a snowy night to see the SkySpirits (aka the Northern Lights).

While this book is a little slow-paced and takes a while to build up to its climactic scene, it was an overall enjoyable read. The two sisters have a nice relationship, in that they clearly care about each other but it doesn't stop the older one from occasionally wielding her age over her younger sister who wishes she could be the one in charge sometimes. (So clearly a recognizable relationship for many children who have siblings at home!)

Another thing I really liked about this book is that it features a Native American family without it being a book about race. Some hints of Native culture are mentioned, but it is not overwhelmingly a book about cultural traditions. While those books are important as well, it's a nice change of pace to find a title with Native American protagonists just doing ordinary things, the same way so many books show Caucasian families in their everyday life.

The illustrations are not really to my taste, as they are pretty staid and muted. However, the exceptions to these are the beautiful paintings of the Northern Lights, which are truly gorgeous.

Because the text is lengthy and the book takes a while to gain some 'oomph,' I would recommend it for older elementary school-age children. ( )

SkySisters centers around a young girl named Alex and her sister Allie. At the beginning of the story, they are getting ready to watch the Sky Spirits, which are actually the northern lights. While their mother is getting them ready to watch the Sky Spirits, she tells Alex to remember their grandmothers saying, “Wisdom comes on silent wings.” The book goes on to describe their walk to the top of Coyote Hill, the place where they go to watch the Sky Spirits. Once they reach the top, they lay on “Mother Earth’s winter quilt” which means they are laying on the snow covered ground to watch. The illustrations in this book are beautifully done. The illustrator really captures the essence of winter and how beautiful it can be. This book would be perfect for the classroom in winter. I imagine my students sitting on the floor with hot chocolate, gathered around me while I read the book to them. Afterwards, I could have them do two things: either have them paint the northern lights, or draw a picture of a time when they did something with their siblings or cousins. I know that when I become a teacher someday, I will definitely do this. ( )