For a Girl Becoming
by Joy Harjo; illus. by Adriana M. Garcia
Primary    Norton    40 pp.
4/25    9781324052241    $18.99

In this new picture-book iteration of a previously published poem by former U.S. Poet Laureate Harjo (Remember, rev. 3/23), verse addressing a young girl offers an intimate portrait of her growing up and of her obligations to self and to the world around her. First, she is ushered into a family with the trappings of her community—a blessing of tobacco, an ornately adorned cradleboard, handmade moccasins. As she grows and explores, she is reminded that her people’s traditions are of utmost importance and that the natural world is paramount. The book provides authentic depictions of contemporary family and tribal life and reflects the Indigenous value of being in harmony with human and nonhuman relatives; it also connects to the value of being a thoughtful contributor, both at home and in the wider world. Harjo’s (Mvskoke) detail-rich verse and Garcia’s lush, mural-like illustrations are steeped in tradition but firmly grounded in today. Details in the illustrations allow readers to immerse themselves in the girl’s world, from the Three Sisters in the garden to the rusted-out truck in the yard to the purposefully chosen objects in a teenager’s bedroom. Adding even more meaning is the repeated use of rainbow imagery, a symbol widely regarded in Indigenous communities as representing unity and hope.

From the July/August 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.