New children’s book demonstrates deep love of the land

Tonya Simpson’s second illustrated children’s book, This Land is a Lullaby, has been short-listed for a number of literary awards, including from the Writers’ Guild of Alberta, B.C. and Yukon Book Prizes, and the International Board on Books for Young People.

The recognition is heartwarming, says the author, who points out that she wrote the book for her baby girl Evelyn, who is now four years old. The lyrical language of a mother coaxing her baby to sleep combined with the rich illustrations of a stormy summer evening on the prairies draws the connection with the land and the creatures, living and spiritual, that call it home.

“The fact that (the book has) connected with other families and other writers and other readers, it's such a beautiful, beautiful thing. And that's really what I wanted to achieve with the writing, was connection,” said Simpson.

That more Indigenous writers are garnering praise and literary awards is a sign of shifting times, she adds.

“A lot of the work that I do, but also the work that other Indigenous writers are doing, I think we have some really profound teachings about this connection, about grounding, about steadiness, about this return to the land, and being held by the land and holding each other. I think maybe it says that's what the world is needing right now,” said Simpson, who is Cree from the Pasqua First Nation in Saskatchewan with Scottish heritage.

Simpson’s first book, Forever Our Home, which was written for her son Todd, and This Land is a Lullaby, focus on the connection with land. She says awareness as a young parent made her want to pass her “deep sense of connection and responsibility and stewardship, this love for the land” on to her children. Simpson grew up on 96 acres of family land. She and her husband are now raising their children on one acre.

But This Land is a Lullaby was also prompted by the time in which it was written. Evelyn was born during the coronavirus pandemic and tumultuous political times.

“I really leaned into the land at that point. I wanted my daughter to know there is a place for you. There is a place for youth. This world is good. The land, that's steady. It's the land that offers that,” said Simpson. “So I think it's what I was needing at the time, but it's also something that I want the young people to recognize.”

Simpson works as a forensic anthropologist and a faculty service officer in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Alberta. This also informed her books.

“As an anthropologist, in general, we are concerned with understanding our place within this world and our responsibilities and how we relate and connect with everything around us,” she said.

Simpson credits illustrator Delreé Dumont with giving her words life, pointing out that both the text and the art are critical for a successful illustrated children’s book. Although Simpson didn’t directly work with Dumont, she believes the fact that both women are Plains Cree allowed Dumont to illustrate the connection to the land in a way that resonated with Simpson.

Simpson says she was surprised by Dumont’s use of pointillism (applying dots) for her vibrant and bold artwork, but it worked.

“A lot of people connected with the beadwork which, I think, that's the first obvious connection. But the first thing that I thought when I saw her initial images, it made me think of drops of sound, like notes of a song put together,” said Simpson.

As for having a melody for This Land is a Lullaby, Simpson said with a laugh, “My daughter…as soon as she could raise her arm, she put her hand over my mouth, and when she could speak, she said, ‘Mom, stop singing.’ I think there might have been a tune that I was trying to get to, but I don't know that it was received.”

Orca Publishing is offering This Land is a Lullaby in English as well as English/Cree, something that thrills Simpson.

“I grew up not as connected to the Cree language as I would like to be. So to be able to work with translators is fantastic. And I'm hoping that we can help bring some of those teachings in the language back to young families so that it's not so daunting,” she said.

At this point, one bilingual version of the book is sold for every three English-only editions, according to Orca.

This Land is a Lullaby is available at orcabook.com/This-Land-Is-a-Lullaby.