Brittany Luby on Mnoomin maan’gowing / The Gift of Mnoomin

In this post, we feature author Brittany Luby, whose previous titles include Mii maanda ezhi-gkendmaanh / This Is How I Know, illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley. You can hear her speak about her new picture book, Mnoomin maan’gowing / The Gift of Mnoomin, illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley and translated by Mary Ann Corbiere, and try her “invitation to imagine” activity. You’ll also find other resources to explore. Thanks for joining us, and let us know what you think in the comments below!

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Mnoomin maan’gowing / The Gift of Mnoomin

• Written by Brittany Luby, illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, and translated by Mary Ann Corbiere.
• Published by Groundwood Books, an imprint of House of Anansi Press
• Release date: October 3, 2023

In this bilingual book, an Anishinaabe child considers a precious mnoomin seed and the circle of life that mnoomin sustains. Written in Anishinaabemowin and English, the story opens at harvest time. A child holds a mnoomin seed and imagines all the life that made a single seed possible. As the day progresses, the child and family make offerings of tobacco, then gently knock ripe seeds into their canoe. On shore, they prepare the seeds, cook up a feast, and gratefully plant seeds they’d set aside. As the concluding author’s note explains, many Anishinaabeg agree that “wild rice” is an inaccurate term for this plant relation, since part of the harvest is sown every year to help sustain human and non-human beings. A beautifully written and illustrated exploration of the cultural and ecological importance of mnoomin.

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Explore Mnoomin maan’gowing / The Gift of Mnoomin

Listen to Brittany Luby talking with TeachingBooks about creating Mnoomin maan’gowing / The Gift of Mnoomin. You can click the player below or experience the recording on TeachingBooks, where you can read along as you listen, and also translate the text to another language.

• Listen to Brittany Luby pronounce her name.
• Listen to illustrator Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley pronounce his name.
• Sample the e-book of Mnoomin maan’gowing / The Gift of Mnoomin on OverDrive.
• Explore TeachingBooks’ collection of activities and resources for Mnoomin maan’gowing / The Gift of Mnoomin.

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Invitation to Imagine

Imagination Activity with Brittany Luby

I hope that my book invites children to think about the seeds their ancestors nurtured. What stories might these seeds tell us about the foods their ancestors hoped we might enjoy today? The environment they imagined we would live in?

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Finish This Sentence . . . with Brittany Luby

“While working on this book, I was surprised to learn that…”

While working on this book, I was surprised to learn that at least four types of bat live in my ancestral territory: Eastern Red Bat, Hoary Bat, Little Brown Bat, and Silver-Haired Bat. They can be distinguished by their size as well as their unique calls. I suspect Big Brown Bat also lives nearby, but I have yet to meet them.

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More Connections to Brittany Luby and Mnoomin maan’gowing / The Gift of Mnoomin

• Discover books like Mnoomin maan’gowing / The Gift of Mnoomin on TeachingBooks.
• Groundwood’s page about Mnoomin maan’gowing / The Gift of Mnoomin, written by Brittany Luby, illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, and translated by Mary Ann Corbiere.
• Buy Mnoomin maan’gowing / The Gift of Mnoomin, written by Brittany Luby, illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, and translated by Mary Ann Corbiere.

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Explore all of the titles featured in the TeachingBooks Virtual Book Tour: one link with author interviews, lesson plans, activities, and more!

All text and images are courtesy of Brittany Luby, Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, Mary Ann Corbiere, and Groundwood Books, and may not be used without expressed written consent.