RaisingMom.ca

Two friends reading, learning, laughing, and taking this adoptive mom gig one day at a time

  • Welcome
  • Reflections on Parenting
    • Parenting Styles/Beliefs
    • Parenting How-Tos
    • Adoption
      • Interracial Adoption
    • Spirituality in Parenting
    • Twins
    • Self-Care for Moms
    • Humor
  • Children’s Book Reviews
    • Starred Reviews
    • Board Books
    • Picture Books (Ages 2 – 6)
    • Picture Books for Older Kids (6+)
    • Canadian
    • Books about Adoption / Fostering
    • Books about Diversity
    • Books about Values
    • First Nations / Indigenous
    • Beginning Chapter Books
    • Chapter Books
    • Other Reviews
  • Contact Us
    • For Publishers, Authors, Illustrators, Publicists & Companies Seeking a Product or Service Review
  • Disclosures
  • Free Resources

We Sang You Home by Richard Van Camp – Book Review

Erin Leave a Comment

717hFGikdQLABOUT THE BOOK: We Sang You Home
Author: Richard Van Camp
Illustrator: Julie Flett
Published by: Orca Book Publishers
Released: October 2016
Ages: 0 – 3
RaisingMom.ca Rating: ****Starred Review**** 5 Stars out of 5
Buy the book from  Amazon.ca or Amazon.com!*

From 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

Buy the book from  Amazon.ca or Amazon.com!*
*Denotes Affiliate Link – see disclosure

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Board Books, Books about Adoption / Fostering, Books about Diversity, Canadian, Children's Book Reviews, First Nations / Indigenous, Starred Reviews 5 stars, adoption, Baby, board book, diversity, First Nations / Indigenous / Aboriginal, lullaby, Native, poetry, song

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.

About Us

Meet Erin & Colleen

Meet Erin & Colleen

Follow Raising Mom on Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe HERE

* indicates required
RaisingMom.ca Newsletter/Notification Options
Load More...Follow on Instagram

Latest Parenting Posts

  • Advocating For Your Child at School Advocating for Your Child at School – Tips for building a strong relationship with your child’s teacher

    advocate [verb ad-vuh-keyt; noun ad-vuh-kit, -keyt] verb: to act as an advocate: a father who advocates for his disabled child. […]

  • Parenting While Grieving Parenting While Grieving… tips from a mom who keeps failing, and showing up anyway

    My Grief Experience After a 2.5 year cancer journey, my mom passed away last fall. To say that it’s been […]

  • It's Not About The Boots It’s Not About the Boots!! – Tips for dealing when our kids [seemingly] try to manipulate us

    The Problem – Child’s Behaviour that appears Manipulative: I was following a conversation online recently in which a mom was […]

...more

Latest Kids’ Book Reviews

  • On Our Street Our First Talk About Poverty Homelessness mental illness On Our Street: Our First Talk About Poverty by Dr. Jillian Roberts and Jaime Casap – Book Review

     REVIEW OF THE BOOK:  On Our Street: Our First Talk About Poverty* Authors: Dr Jillian Roberts & Jaime Casap Illustrator: Jane […]

  • Wild One Image Wild One by Jane Whittingham & Illustrated by Noel Tuazon – Book Review

    REVIEW OF THE BOOK:  *Wild One Author: Jane Whittingham Illustrator: Noel Tuazon Published by: Pajama Press Released: Nov 2017 Ages: 1 – […]

  • Bessie, Queen of the sky by Andrea Doshi & Jimena Duran - Book Review Bessie, Queen of the sky by Andrea Doshi & Jimena Duran – Book Review

      REVIEW OF THE BOOK:  Bessie, Queen of the Sky* Author: Andrea Doshi & Jimena Duran Illustrator: Chiara Fabbri Published by: […]

...More

Upcoming ETC Training Opportunities

Stay tuned for upcoming opportunities!

Readers Love These Posts:

  • Parenting While Grieving… tips from a mom who keeps failing, and showing up anyway Parenting While Grieving…... My Grief Experience After a 2.5 year cancer journey... under Parenting, Parenting How-Tos, Parenting Styles/Beliefs, Self-Care for Moms, Spirituality in Parenting
  • Making Sure You’re Heard Without Yelling Making Sure You’re Heard... Want Less Yelling and Better Communication?? Me too! D... under Adoption, Parenting, Parenting How-Tos, Parenting Styles/Beliefs, Spirituality in Parenting
  • Am I Surviving or Thriving?: Thoughts on Self-Care for Moms Am I Surviving or Thrivin... Are You Just SURVIVING, or are you THRIVING? Self-care... under Parenting, Parenting How-Tos, Self-Care for Moms, Spirituality in Parenting

Copyright © 2019 · Daily Dish Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in