I Sang You Down from the Stars

PreS–A heart-warming story from an Indigenous perspective about a mother preparing for her baby’s entrance into the world. Spillett-Sumner is Inniniwak and shares with readers how a sacred medicine bundle is created for a child with natural elements such as sage, cedar, stone, and eagle plume. The care and love felt through the pages of the illustrations are dreamlike and ethereal. Readers follow the mother and baby’s journey through the seasons and explanations of the medicine bundle and traditional teachings. The emotions stirred by word choices and visual elements can be overwhelmingly tender. In a moment where the mother stitches a star blanket with the help of her family, she is then shown spending time alone to complete it. During this time, she says something that captures the essence of the book, “With each stitch, I whispered a prayer for you and thought about wrapping you up warm and safe, just like you are now in my belly.”