We Are Water Protectors
by Carole Lindstrom · · 2020
Inspired by Indigenous-led environmental movements, this picture book follows a young Ojibwe girl who pledges to stand against a dark snake threatening to pollute her community's water supply. Drawing strength from her elders and ancestral traditions, she rallies her community to shield the rivers and land from harm. The story emphasizes communal solidarity, courage, and respect for nature while framing water as a living, sacred entity.
- Age range
- Ages 3–6
- Category
- Picture Books
- ISBN
worldview score
Content ratings
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Parent notes
This picture book provides a helpful opening to discuss environmental care and standing up for justice. Parents will want to note the Indigenous spiritual framework that treats water as a sacred, living relative, using it as an opportunity to contrast animistic ideas with the biblical view of God as Creator and humans as stewards.
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Discussion questions
- 1How does the narrator's view of water as a sacred, living relative compare to the biblical view that God created water and appointed humans to care for it?
- 2What feeling about environmental protection do you think the author wanted children to walk away with after seeing the dark snake invade the land?
- 3When facing an obstacle as massive as the dark snake, what specific ancestral teachings helped the young girl stay committed to her pledge?
- 4If the black snake were allowed to run through the soil without any opposition, what downstream effects would that choice have on the plants, animals, and villagers?
- 5Which was stronger for the young water protector—her fear of the dark snake's destruction or the courage she found by standing alongside her community?
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