Book Review: I Am the Sun

I Am the Sun, written by Janessa Parker and illustrated by Beverly Blacksheep, is a heartfelt look into Diné/Navajo culture

The illustrations are deeply saturated and colorful and look like they were drawn with markers. They are a vital part of the story because they show the daily activities of the people as described in the story and also their connection with nature.

As the narrator goes through the day, they see craftspeople doing their work, women cooking fry bread and weaving. They ride their horse and do a traditional dance that reminds them of what’s truly important:

I dance for healing.
I dance for remembrance.
I dance for freedom.
I dance for the future.
I dance for the Diné!

The story speaks to the importance of the natural world and how things like sheep and turquoise are gifts to the people who use them with respect. It calls on readers to learn about Native cultures and pass along stories and traditions.

The author was inspired to learn more about Diné culture after her father died and she had children and wanted to make sure that they knew the traditions and stories of their people.

The book includes Diné vocabulary and there’s a glossary and pronunciation guide at the front to help readers with those words that might be unfamiliar.

This book would be a nice addition to a classroom bookshelf or to your at-home collection of books about different cultures. Whether you are Diné or Native or not, reading the stories of Indigenous people (and others) helps us understand what is important to other people and what their lives are like.

Kids should also enjoy the art style and the bright colors and might be inspired to try drawing their own stories in a similar way.

About the book: 32 pages, hardcover paper over boards. Published 2025 by Bushel & Peck Books. Suggested retail price $18.99.

Next Plan Idea:

Weaving Projects to Make With Kids

Most kids go through a phase where they want to learn more about animals, and it’s fun for them to learn about the diversity of the natural world and what humans can do to protect other creatures we share the planet with. Camilla de la Bedoyere has written a couple of books, illustrated by Philip Giordano, to help kids learn more about birds and bees.

Wild Your World: Birds looks at many different kinds of birds that live around the world and covers things like parts of a bird, different habitats that birds live in, migration, camouflage, what and how birds eat and more.

With lovely illustrations showing a diverse array of birds found around the world, the book talks about different birds that live in the woodlands, rainforest, fields and farms, coastland, grasslands and deserts, urban areas and the polar regions.

It talks about some of the biggest, smallest and fastest birds, and fun facts about different birds. For example you’ll learn about birds that next in cacti, the birds with weird shaped eggs so they won’t roll off cliffs, and meet the birds that migrate from New Zealand to Alaska.

Wild Your World: Bees follows a similar format, talking about different kinds of bees (and how the vast majority of bee species are solitary bees), parts of a bee and why bees look the way they do, how bees collect nectar and pollen, how bees sense the world around them, how their wings work and what life in a colony is like.

It covers the bee life cycle, how bees make honey, what causes a swarm and more. It covers digger bees, carpenter bees, orchid bees, cuckoo bees (who lay their eggs in the nests of teddy bear bees so they don’t have to take care of their young), mining bees, plasterer bees, leaf-cutter, wool carder and mason bees (so named because they collect materials to make their nests), bumblebees and swaet bees.

Readers will also learn about keeping bees. Both books talk about the dangers to birds and bees and what humans can do to help them.

These books are aimed at readers ages 4-9 who will enjoy looking at the pictures and learning about these animals and how people can help protect them.

About the books: Both books are 46 pages and hardcover. Published 2025 by Design Eye (see: birds|bees). Both books retail for $16.99.

Let’s Get Buzzing About World Bee Day

Bee Craft – Learning about Pollination

Learning about Bees for Kids

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