My Little Ogichidaa: An Indigenous Lullaby

Métis author Willie Poll brings us My Little Ogichidaa: An Indigenous Lullaby. In collaboration with the illustrator, Hawlii Pichette, Poll offers us a fierce picture book for Indigenous families and their allies who rejoice in their newest member: an imagined little Ogichidaa. Through a series of saturated double-page spreads, Poll and Hawlii take us along as one mother throws her wishes to the Universe in celebration of her soon-to-be baby.

But the wishes are neither saccharine nor hollow. The wishes for this little Ogichidaa are clear cries in the face of colonization. Here, we have anger and joy and passion and surprise all mixed in one book. Poll does not leave us guessing. She is highlighting her hope for this new family member in the margins of what has happened to her past family members. “You bring hope to all our relations that live on this earth (p. 16)”. This is a lullaby with a pulse.

Pichette uses broad lines and a unique secondary-color focused palette to create her illustrations. Reminiscent of cut-line work, the bold art beautifully underscores the heartbeat of this book. When you visit Pichette’s website (https://www.urbaniskwew.com), you’ll find free downloadable colouring pages. In particular, her pages for Orange Shirt Day would be a luminous resource for early years educators. Offering My Little Ogichidaa: An Indigenous Lullaby, paired with a few printed coloring pages, would be a wonderful way for the lullaby to extend past the early nursery years.