What your ribbon skirt means to me Deb Haaland's historic inauguration

This simple story about a group of Native American children getting ready for a party to celebrate Congresswoman Deb Haaland's swearing-in as Secretary of the Interior artfully folds in all kinds of cultural details about Indigenous ceremonies, customs, and beliefs. Family members arrive with special dishes (dried buffalo, fry bread, rooreh salad), Grandmother offers a prayer to the Creator, and guests are smudged with sage, but the most anticipated activity is the sewing of ribbon skirts. These traditional articles hold significance for Native American communities across the U.S. and Canada and feature bright bands of colors representing ceremonial elements (orange for fire, green for grass, violet for seashells). Haaland wore a ribbon skirt for her swearing-in to celebrate her Laguna Pueblo heritage, and Pia, the young protagonist, is excited to get to work, even though she already has a special powwow ribbon skirt that celebrates her mother's Anishinabe people and a Gualåfon necklace from her dad's Chamorro culture. After the party, Pia gives her freshly made ribbon skirt to a new classmate as a welcome gift. Native American expressions are woven throughout the narrative, and generous back matter covers Haaland's career and responsibilities, additional insights into Native American culture, ways kids can get involved in conservation efforts, and sources. Filled with bright, full-page illustrations, this attractive publication celebrates multiple urban and intertribal Native American traditions.

A community event encompasses a celebration of tradition in this conversational picture book by Bunten, who is Aleut/Yup'ik. At the Native American Center where Pia does homework after school, "today is special"--the organization is throwing a party to celebrate the swearing-in ceremony of Deb Haaland (b. 1960) as secretary of the interior, the first Indigenous person to serve in this capacity. Community members, portrayed with various abilities and skin tones, soon show up with dried buffalo, fry bread, and smoked salmon, as anticipatory prose describes food that "smells so good, it's hard for Pia to wait." Following the meal, the party's attendees next craft regalia to honor Auntie Deb--notably ribbon skirts like the one Haaland wore to the ceremony. As kids and elders discuss ribbon shirts and skirts ("When you wear your regalia, you shine with all the strength of our mothers and grandmothers since time immemorial"), the back-and-forth answers Pia's questions and results in a welcoming gift to a newcomer. Digital images from Diné illustrator Neidhardt weave portraiture and pattern. Back matter includes an author's note. Ages 4--8. (July)

Children gather to watch a historical event, the swearing in of the first Indigenous secretary of the Department of the Interior. After school, young Pia, whose mother is Anishinaabe and whose father is Chamorro, runs to the Native American center, where Auntie Autumn greets her with "Hersha Tuhe," Ramaytush Ohlone for greetings. Pia and other diverse kids watch on TV as Deb Haaland makes history. Pia notices that "Auntie Deb" is wearing a ribbon skirt, a ceremonial garment that celebrates Indigenous womanhood. That night, the kids and their families attend a celebration in honor of Secretary Haaland, where they make their own ribbon skirts. Bunten (Aleut/Yup'ik) engages readers with lively language ("a parade of beef stew, fry bread, dried buffalo"). Neidhardt's (Diné) bold, realistic art radiates with strength, especially when Pia's grandmother teaches her about the importance of regalia: "You shine with all the strength of our mothers and grandmothers since time immemorial." Grandma adds that Auntie Deb wore the ribbon skirt for the ancestors and for "all the mothers, aunties, daughters, and grandmothers yet to be born--Native and non-Native," and Pia realizes the power woven into each ribbon skirt. The colors of the ribbons symbolize connections to the natural world. References to rooreh salad and sage hint at an inclusion of various Indigenous cultures. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A powerful story of intergenerational strength, womanhood, and Native pride. (more information on Deb Haaland, the history and meaning of ribbon skirts, instructions on writing a letter to the government, author's and illustrator's notes, sources) (Picture book. 5-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.