ABOUT THE BOOK: We Sang You HomeFrom the Publisher:
In this sweet and lyrical board book from the creators of the bestselling Little You, gentle rhyming text captures the wonder new parents feel as they welcome baby into the world. A celebration of the bond between parent and child, this is the perfect song to share with your little ones.
Internationally renowned storyteller and bestselling author Richard Van Camp teams up with award-winning illustrator Julie Flett for a second time to create a stunning board book for babies and toddlers.
Description:
We Sang You Home is a gentle board book about welcoming a new baby into a family. The whole message is one of love, welcome, and completion now that a new young one has joined the family. The lyrical text is reminds the reader of a poem/song and gently begins “we sang you from a wish, we sang you from a prayer”, letting the little one know how much they were anticipated and wanted. The illustrations hint at a non-specific non-white race (could be Asian, First Nations, Inuit, etc.). This makes a nice change from many other titles on the same topic. It is a book of hope and thankfulness and would make a wonderful addition to any preschool collection.
My Experience:
Since our children are of First Nations heritage, this is a perfect book for our collection. It features a child with skin and hair colour that they recognize. It is also non-specific about the gender of the baby and inclusive enough to encompass all new babies – arriving through birth, fostering, or adoption (our family situation). Both the author and illustrator have Canadian First Nations backgrounds. Richard Van Camp is a member of the Dogrib (Tlicho) Nation from Fort Smith, NWT, Canada and illustrator Julie Flett is Cree-Metis. The story is not specifically First Nations oriented and alludes generally to traditions present in many/most cultures such as songs, prayers, rebirth, and hope for the future. All three of my kids love this story and have asked for it to be read to them on multiple occassions.
Likes:
- no gender of baby specified
- general enough to appeal to many cultures
- general enough to include children who joined families through fostering and adoption
- gentle and soothing text
Dislikes:
- none!
Why/How Use it with kids:
- as a soothing before bed read-aloud – even for the newest babies
- a welcome for new children joining a family (foster kids, adoptees, etc.)
- for older siblings – have them discuss how they felt about having a new member join the family. They could create their own “verse” and illustrate it
About the Author & Illustrator:
Richard Van Camp is a proud member of the Dogrib (Tlicho) Nation from Fort Smith, NWT, Canada. A graduate of the En’owkin International School of Writing, the University of Victoria’s Creative Writing BFA Program, and the Master’s Degree in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia, He taught creative writing at the University of British Columbia, worked as a creative-writing and storytelling instructor with the Emily Carr University of Art + Design and was the writer in residence at the University of Alberta for 2011 and 2012 and at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta, in 2013 and 2014. His novel The Lesser Blessed is now a movie with First Generation Films.
Julie Flett studied fine arts at Concordia University in Montreal and Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver. She received the Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize and was nominated for the Governor Genera’s Award for Children’s Literature for her book Owls See Clearly at Night (Lii Yiiboo Nayaapiwak lii Swer): A Michif Alphabet (L’alphabet di Michif). Julie is Cree-Métis and currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.
~Erin
Leave a Reply