Runs with the Stars
A moving picture book about the Ojibwe Horse, the only Indigenous-bred horse in Canada.
“Elders say they were always here. The horses were small, but strong.”
“Like me?”
“Like you.”
As they await the birth of a new foal, a man teaches his grandchild about the Ojibwe Horses that used to roam the forests of northwestern Ontario. The horses once ran wild and free, but when Grandfather was a boy, they almost disappeared. Now he is the caretaker of his own small herd, keeping the breed alive for future generations and teaching his grandchild about the loving bond between human and animals.
Praise & Recognition
“Debut author Whitecrow (Ojibwe and Dakota) and O’Connor (Fast Friends) weave a history of wild-roaming Ojibwe horses around western Lake Superior with the intergenerational story of an Ojibwe seven-year-old … In textural art, Lishchenko (In My Anaana’s Amautik) conjures images of the herds, the protagonists, and the interplay between nature and technology.”
Publishers Weekly"Moving, meditative, and a great way to talk to children about the natural world, Runs with the Stars is a powerful addition to the picture book landscape."
Open Book“Illustrated with celestial delight by Burlington based artist Lenny Lishchenko, whose graphic work frames the story with an earthy, almost animate backdrop. While Runs With the Stars can be read as a parable of ecological resilience, the driving force is the true story of the Ojibwe horse itself. And who better to tell the story than Whitecrow.”
The WalleyeThe First Nation Communities READ Awards Children’s Category 2023 - Short-listed
Details
Publication Date: May 3, 2022
Reading Age: 6 - 8
Genre: Picture Book, Children's Fiction
Product Format: Hardback
Pages: 32
ISBN: 978-1-77260-238-8
About the Author
Darcy Whitecrow
Darcy Whitecrow is Ojibwe and Dakota; he is a member of the Seine River First Nation band in Northwestern Ontario, where he lives. Darcy practices traditional lifestyles like trapping, fishing, and ricing, as well as traditional spirituality in both the Midewiwin and Sundance traditions. With his partner, Kim, they have started a non-profit, Grey Raven Ranch, where they have been raising and caring for the Ojibwe Horses for the last decade to help preserve the breed and the tradition of symbiotic interaction with the Ojibwe people.
About the Author
Heather M. O'Connor
Heather M. O’Connor is an award-winning children’s author and freelance writer based in Peterborough, Ontario. She first learned about Ojibwe Horses while writing for the Ontario Parks blog and quickly became obsessed.
About the Illustrator
Lenny Lishchenko
Lenny Lishchenko is not a boy. She is an illustrator, graphic designer, and comics maker who will never give up the chance to draw a good birch tree. Ukrainian-born and Canadian-raised, she’s interested in telling stories that people remember years later in the early mornings, when everything is quiet and still. She is based out of Burlington, Ontario.
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