Blue Bearies

In this follow-up to the bestselling Bowwow Powwow, Windy Girl and her classmates learn to appreciate our bear relatives and the wisdom that comes from observing their actions and antics in various northland scenes.

“Bears are our teachers!” exclaims Mrs. Mukwa at the end of a field trip with Windy Girl’s class. Indeed, beyond an intertwined history that includes a woman “as fierce as a bear” during a long-ago battle and a cub that traveled on the shoulders of an Ojibwe man, these animal relatives have much to teach us. Stop by stop, the students learn about habitats and habits, landscapes and lore—the assorted ways that bears seek out the gifts of their environment. Windy Girl and her classmates marvel as they witness bears digging medicinal herbs, munching on berries, and playing with their families. The ultimate lesson is to respect our bear relatives. Will Windy Girl remember this advice later in the summer as she prepares for a berrying trip with Uncle?

In Blue Bearies Brenda J. Child reprises the adventures of Windy Girl and her dog Itchy Boy with a focus on history and ecology, while Jonathan Thunder’s lively illustrations teem with playful humor. Anishinaabe educator Gordon Jourdain retells the story in Ojibwemowin. This much-anticipated sequel to the award-winning Bowwow Powwow celebrates the wonders of a time when, as Mrs. Mukwa shares, “we lived closely with our animal relatives”—to our mutual benefit.