Of the Sun: A Poem for the Land's First Peoples

By Xelena González

Book Overview

A 2026 Tom s Rivera Children's Book Award winner

A 2026 Am ricas Award Commended Title

An ALSC Notable Children's Books selection

New York Public Library's Best Books of 2025

"Kewageshig's (Anishinaabe) warm, richly hued images celebrating the art styles and cultural symbols of Native communities are paired with gentle, firm verse, resulting in a work that's both a lullaby and a rallying cry" - Kirkus Reviews

A powerful and hopeful ode to Indigenous children.

Indigenous. Native. On this land, you may roam.
Child of the sun, on this land, you are home.

Of the Sun is an uplifting and mighty poem that wraps the Indigenous children of the Americas in reassuring words filled with hope for a brighter future and reminders of their bond and importance to the land. Each page fills them with pride and awe of their cultural heritage and invites them to unite and inspire change in the world.

Paired with powerful art reflecting cultures of various Indigenous Nations and Tribes, the poem offers all readers a sense of the history and majesty of the land we live on and how we can better care for ourselves and the world when we recognize our connection to the land and to each other.Written by Xelena Gonz lez, poet and activist in the Native and Latinx communities, and an enrolled member of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan NationBold illustrations by prominent Anishinaabe illustrator Emily Kewageshig depict landscapes across the Americas and children from many backgroundsEndnotes provide more information on Native and Indigenous unity and activism in younger generations

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0DY3Z2V6Q
• ISBN13: 9798888596517
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: Barefoot Books
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 9.9" x 9.6"
• Age Range: 3 to 5 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Kindergarten