Note from Debbie on November 12, 2023: I am withdrawing my recommendation of
Still This Love Goes On due to an October investigation into Sainte-Marie's identity. I have compiled a
list of articles, primarily from Native people, and hope you will read them. There's a lot to go through, and a lot to unlearn and learn.
Still This Love Goes On
Written by Buffy Sainte-Marie (Cree)
Illustrated by Julie Flett (Cree-Metis)
Published by Greystone Kids
Published in 2022
Reviewed by Debbie Reese
Review Status: Highly Recommended
If Still This Love Goes On is not on your must-buy list yet, put it there right now. Better yet, order it, right now!
You can read it as a book about seasons. You'll see people and animals on wide landscapes of snow, or fields of grass and flowers... Or, with the references to sweetgrass and drums and jingle dancers, you can read it as a book about Native people. Or, you can sing along with Sainte-Marie! You'll find her singing it on her album, Running For the Drum. If you read music and play an instrument, you can turn to the sheet music at the end of the book.
Anyone who listens to Native musicians will recognize the name, Buffy Sainte-Marie. Anyone who reads and shares picture books by Native writers will recognize the name, Julie Flett. In other words, Still This Love Goes On is a magnificent gift to us all.
