A distinctive story is told in second person in the voice of an Inniniwak (Cree) mother who is looking forward to the birth of her first child. As the nine months pass, the mother gathers items for her baby’s medicine bundle, poetically explaining the significance and power of each item. After the baby is born, these items are reiterated as she prepares the baby to be welcomed by family and friends. “I saw that you, my baby, are also a sacred bundle. You are my baby bundle.” The narrative is well matched by the illustrations, both emotive and dreamy. The author and illustrator are both Indigenous, from different Nations, and their notes speak to how the story connects to their own specific traditions, as well as to many Indigenous traditions that hold the belief that babies choose their own parents. (Ages 3-6)

A New York Times bestseller!



A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book



This unique baby book sings with Native cultural detail, while striking a universal chord in its celebration of the blossoming of love that comes with expecting and welcoming a new baby--with art by New York Times bestselling illustrator and Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade

As she waits for the arrival of her new baby, a mother-to-be gathers gifts to create a sacred bundle. A white feather, cedar and sage, a stone from the river . . .



Each addition to the bundle will offer the new baby strength and connection to tradition, family, and community. As they grow together, mother and baby will each have gifts to offer each other.



Tasha Spillett and Michaela Goade, two Indigenous creators, bring beautiful words and luminous art together in a resonant celebration of the bond between mother and child.