Darcy Whitecrow and Heather M. O’Connor on Across the Ice: How We Saved the Ojibwe Horse

In this post, we feature authors Darcy Whitecrow and Heather M. O’Connor, whose previous notable titles include Runs with the Stars / Wiijibibamatoon Anangoonan. You can hear them speak about their new picture book, Across the Ice: How We Saved the Ojibwe Horse, illustrated by Natasha Donovan. You can also try their “invitation to imagine” activities and find other resources to explore. Thanks for joining us, and let us know what you think in the comments below!

Heather M. O'Connor, Darcy Whitecrow, and the cover of Across the Ice.

Across the Ice: How We Saved the Ojibwe Horse

Written by Darcy Whitecrow and Heather M. O’Connor, illustrated by Natasha Donovan
Published by Candlewick Press
Release date: September 16, 2025

It’s a cold, snowy night at Lac La Croix First Nation, and two siblings are too excited to fall asleep. The horses are coming tonight! Amid the buzz of aunties and uncles and cousins, Nookomis tells a story that began many years ago, when their people shared the land with herds of wild ponies. In a symbiotic relationship, the people provided the horses with food and shelter, while the horses helped them run traplines and travel. But after many years had passed, and the herd had dwindled to four, the government threatened to shoot them. It was time to move the remaining horses to safety—but getting them there would be harder than they thought! Follow the true story of a “heist across the ice” from Ontario to Minnesota and learn how a small herd of hardy, indigenous horses returned years later to their native land. Rich illustrations honor the life of the Ojibwe people over time, as well as the land and living things that have survived under their stewardship.

An interior spread from Across the Ice, featuring a gray-haired woman telling two children stories that are illustrated in three wavy sections on the spread. In the first, horses leading sleds are lead across snow; in the second, Ojibwe villagers care for the horses near their homes; in the third, the villagers are living among the horses near a lake and thick summer forest.

An interior spread from Across the Ice showing contemporary Ojibwe people caring for horses in a fenced paddock surrounded by snow.

Explore Across the Ice: How We Saved the Ojibwe Horse

Listen to Darcy Whitecrow and Heather M. O’Connor talking with TeachingBooks about creating Across the Ice: How We Saved the Ojibwe Horse. 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.

Invitation to Imagine

TeachingBooks asks each author or illustrator on our Virtual Book Tour to share a writing prompt, a drawing exercise, or just an interesting question to spark curiosity and creativity. Enjoy the following activities contributed by Darcy Whitecrow and Heather M. O’Connor.

Imagination Activities with Darcy Whitecrow and Heather M. O’Connor

Next time you’re writing a story, pretend you’re making a gourmet sandwich. Sure, you can settle for a boring old PB & J on white bread. But what’s the fun in that? What if you used cinnamon bread? Or crunchy peanut butter? What if you changed the jam to sliced strawberries? Or added M&Ms? Or ketchup?

You can do the same thing to jazz up your story. Switch up your characters and setting until you find a combo that’s exciting and different. Not just once, but again and again.

Give your hero some complications, fears, embarrassing secrets, or special gifts. She could be an alien. Or invisible. How does that change your story? She could play all star basketball, but her new sneakers turn into banana peels at midnight. Try out silly options. Dabble with drama and danger. Make it scary or spooky or funny or magical. When you find a tasty combination, start writing.

Finish This Sentence . . . with Darcy Whitecrow and Heather M. O’Connor

As part of our Virtual Book Tour, TeachingBooks asks authors and illustrators to complete short sentence prompts. Enjoy the response from Darcy Whitecrow and Heather M. O’Connor.

“My favorite books as a child were…”

My favourite books as a child were collections of myths, legends, and fairy tales from around the world. My mom took me to the library every week, and every week, I came home with a new stack of books. Libraries are still my happy spot.—Heather M. O’Connor

“A surprising thing that helps me work is…”

A surprising thing that helps me work is going for a walk in nature. Taking a fresh air break gives me new ideas and perspectives. I jot them down as I go in a pocket-sized notebook. Funny, isn’t it, that getting away from where I write makes the words flow even faster?—Heather M. O’Connor

“You may not know that I can…”

You might not know that I can fish, trap, and hunt. I was born in a remote community. We had no electricity, no running water. So I learned to live off the land, eating rabbits, partridge, deer, and moose.—Darcy Whitecrow

“I hope our book may encourage young readers to think about…”

I hope our book might encourage young readers to realize that we’re not above nature, not below nature. We are nature. For nature sustains us all.—Darcy Whitecrow

Thank you!

To wrap up this Virtual Book Tour, we thank Darcy Whitecrow and Heather M. O’Connor for signing a book for all of us.

The title page of Across the Ice, signed by the authors, Darcy Whitecrow and Heather M. O'Connor.

More Connections to Darcy Whitecrow and Heather M. O’Connor and Across the Ice: How We Saved the Ojibwe Horse

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 Darcy Whitecrow, Heather M. O’Connor, Natasha Donovan, and Candlewick Press and may not be used without expressed written consent.