Raven’s Ribbons
Tasha Spillett
TASHA SPILLETT is an Inninewak (Cree) and Trinidadian award-winning poet and author who earned her doctoral degree in Indigenous land–based education. She makes her home in Treaty 1 territory, Manitoba, where she lives with her family. She is the author of the New York Times best-selling picture book I Sang You Down from the Stars and the award-winning Surviving the City graphic novel series.
Daniel Ramirez
DANIEL RAMIREZ is a descendant of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan and a much-celebrated fine artist. His award-winning art has appeared in exhibitions and museums across the world, including at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC. He lives between Phoenix, Arizona, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
A joyous celebration of gender expression through an Indigenous lens, by New York Times bestselling author Tasha Spillett and Ojibwe elder Daniel Ramirez
Raven loves round dances. The drums sing to the people, and the people dance to their songs. Raven especially loves dancing with his grandma, sidestepping to the rhythm of the drums. His favourite part of all is watching the ribbon skirts swirl like rainbows.
“Nohkum, do you think a boy could wear a ribbon skirt?” Raven asks his grandmother one day. She tells him she has lived for a long time, but she has never seen it. That evening, she sews late into the night, and Raven awakes to a rainbow skirt of his own. “I’ve lived for a long time,” his grandma says, “and I’m lucky to see beautiful things that I’ve never seen before.” At the next dance, Raven wears the swirl of unique ribbons with pride.
With illustrations infused with joy and colour, this moving intergenerational story celebrates self-expression, honouring traditions, and finding room for reinvention.
Tasha Spillett, Daniel Ramirez
SKU: OB400087n0nn1nWWW | ISBN: 9781771475662
"Weaves Two-Spirit self-expression and collective belonging into a beautiful tribute to Indigenous heritage."
- Kirkus Reviews - STARRED REVIEW"Cree author Spillett (I Sang You Down from the Stars) captures the joy of the round dance, and a feeling of belonging and connection offered in intergenerational Indigenous community."
- Publishers Weekly - STARRED REVIEW"[A] welcome story about an Indigenous child’s gender expression."
- The Horn BookPublication date
January 14, 2025
Number of pages
32
Interest age
From 4 to 7