Raven's Ribbons

★ "Spillett captures the joy of the round dance, and a feeling of belonging and connection offered in intergenerational Indigenous community."​ —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "Simple and tender." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

From New York Times bestselling author Tasha Spillett and illustrator Daniel Ramirez comes a joyous intergenerational celebration of gender self-expression and acceptance through an Indigenous lens.

Raven loves Round Dances. The drums sing to the people. The people dance to the music. Raven’s favorite part is to watch the ribbon skirts, swirling like a rainbow. He wishes he could have a ribbon skirt of his own, but his grandmother has never seen a boy wearing one. Until the next round dance, when it turns out that even someone who has lived a long time can see wonderful things that they’ve never seen before.  

In the spirit of beloved books like Julián is a Mermaid, here is a moving intergenerational story celebrating identity, self-expression, and the realization that even within our traditions, there is room for beautiful reinvention.

Tasha Spillett is a Cree and Trinidadian award-winning poet, scholar, and writer. She is the author of several books for young readers, including the New York Times bestselling picture book I Sang You Down from the Stars with art by Michaela Goade. She makes her home in Treaty 1 territory, Manitoba, where she lives with her family.

Daniel Ramirez is a descendant of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan and a much-celebrated fine artist. His award-winning art has appeared in exhibitions and museums across the world, including at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC. He lives between Phoenix, Arizona, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.