The Water Walker

"An important topic is treated with grace, love, and a smidgen of humor in this delightful, necessary book."

"... a worthwhile addition to classroom and public libraries and a resource for discussions about First Nations and ecology."

"... like so many titles about Indigenous topics finally earning shelf space in Canadian libraries and bookshops, The Water Walker has just as much to teach parents as the children... Joanne Robertson succeeds in answering with her words and her art the same question that Nokomis Josephine answered with her footsteps: 'What are you going to do about it?'"

"Josephine Mandamin has inspired countless adults to care passionately about protecting the waters of the earth. Now through Joanne Robertson's magical book, Josephine will inspire children to know they can change the world."

"Joanne Roberston reconstructs Josephine's remarkable story with simple prose and colourful illustrations that will appeal to young readers."

"The Water Walker is a wonderful book about conservation, environmentalism, and preservation, written in a way that even the youngest audience can understand why Nibi is important and why we should protect Nibi.... The book has the potential to be a highly interactive book around which science lesson plans could be formed. Students can discuss how they are protecting Nibi, they can write letters to Nokomis, and there can be discussion around the ways they can create change in the world, just as Nokomis did."

"It is the epitome of #OwnVoices.... Robertson turned Mandamin's work into an engaging story that invites children to learn about her activism.... The Water Walker is an extraordinary book."

"With a message that is both timely and timeless, The Water Walker... will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to family, preschool, elementary school, and community library collections."

"[The author’s] artwork in this picture book is colorful and accessible for readers, and she gives readers a solid inspirational story on a critical topic while even adding in a bit of humor…This book would be a good addition to a school or public library, and it would also be a good addition to text sets or lessons about conservation efforts or natural resources or Native Americans."

"The simple text and colourful pictures are the perfect medium to convey the urgency of the Water Walkers' initiative. Teachers and students can use [the] story to park and ignite their own activism around water protection."