We Are Water Protectors

Summary

This week I read the book We Are Water Protectors, written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade. This is a captivating story centered around protecting our environment, specifically our water sources. Although this story could be applied to anyone in the world reading this book, it specifically discusses the experiences of Indigenous people and how their lives were affected by the pollution in their waters.

My Thoughts

While reading this book the illustrations stood out most to me as they are very detailed and correspond with what the text says on each page. As opposed to solely using the text to tell the story, the images included on each page are eye-catching and play a crucial role in supporting the story. It was impossible for me to choose one page as my favorite since several images were incredibly beautiful and powerful as they were being used to represent such a pressing issue. These illustrations allow the reader to see the harm being done to the people, the animals, and environment. The reader can see that the water is being used as a vessel to extract oil which is portrayed by a domineering black snake, tainting the waters so that it is no longer safe for the people on the land. I loved the symbolism of the black snake because it is depicting a very important issue in a way that is easier for young readers to understand. You also see in the images how beautiful the land they are fighting to preserve is and the story helps support the idea that without the people coming together to fight against the pollution, or the black snake, the harm will only continue to worsen.

I can imagine how much a story like this would speak to students that live in rural areas, where they are surrounded by nature and rely on it for different aspects of their life. In many of my previous experiences I have worked with students who live on farms or in remote areas where they are surrounded by nature. I think this book would allow them to see the harm that pollution and toxins can have on an environment they are familiar with and would want to stand up and be a part of the necessary changes. Although this is a picture book, I think this book would definitely be appropriate for elementary and middle grades and could also be fitting in higher grade levels since it portrays such an important theme.

This story would go very well in a unit centered on the preservation of the environment and could help begin a very important discussion to young students that are unfamiliar with this issue. I loved that the author included an “Earth Steward and Water Protector Pledge” in the end of the book for readers to sign agreeing that they will join the movement and work towards making our world a cleaner place. I am excited to read this book to my future students and allow each of them to sign this pledge because I think it is important to teach students that they each can make a difference.

I appreciated the cultural representation within this book for the Ojibwe tribe. Throughout the story you can see examples of how people within this tribe may live, relying on the land for many of their resources. In addition to this there is more information on this tribe provided to the reader at the end of the book, discussing how they were affected by the pipeline, or black snake. I trust this information provided within the book because the author herself is a part of this tribe, therefore she would understand their troubles.

For more information about the author and her experiences, visit the link below:

https://youtu.be/2YHaRmj9wLU

Lindstrom, C., & Goade, M. (2020). We are Water Protectors. New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press.