This is such a lovely book! In it, the reader goes on a berry-picking journey in the author’s native land of the southeast coast of Alaska. As the illustrator and author of the book, Michaela Goade delights me with her pictures of a variety of luscious berries that grow wild in Sitka Alaska. She features the names of familiar ones as, like raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, and blueberry, as well as unfamiliar ones: nagooonberry, chalkberry, bogberry, cloudberry, soapberry, crowberry, bunchberry, and lignonberry.

The story involves a grandmother taking her granddaughter on a berry-picking trip. First, we see them on a boat. I can almost feel the salty spray of the ocean as I see the watercolor illustrations of dotty white sea foam splashing up against their sailing vessel. They then dock the boat and pick berries, singing a song of thanks to the land for giving them fruits. They acknowledge that as the land takes care of them, giving them food, they must take care of the land. They take the berries home and make yummy food: pies, syrup, scones, jams and jellies. It’s just a beautiful book celebrating nature, the rhythmic seasons, the beautiful Tlingit people, and for me, the God of nature who makes it all possible.

I love that at the end the author includes a personal note giving more background to the story, along with photographs of some of the berries. In a world where many children think that all food comes from the grocery store, this is an important book to share will all children everywhere to get them knowing where food ultimately comes from and our stewardship to care for the earth.