Bud Finds Her Gift
When young Bud sees people bustling around, intent on their chores and their screens, she is certain they must be doing important things—and she wants to be included. But wise Nokomis, her grandmother, shows her that there is a different way to find belonging, one that relies on stillness and observing the natural world. As Bud discovers the freely given gifts of the Earth, she wonders if she has something important to give back: What is her gift?
Bud Finds Her Gift inspires readers to treasure nature’s generosity and the gifts each one of us can share with the Earth.
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Themes: connection, building community.
From HarperCollins Publishers. To find the book, visit your local library or purchase from an Indigenous book store.
About the Author
Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the author of Bud Finds Her Gift, The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, which has earned Kimmerer wide acclaim. Her first book, Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses, was awarded the John Burroughs Medal for outstanding nature writing, and her other work has appeared in Orion, Whole Terrain, and numerous scientific journals. In 2022, Braiding Sweetgrass was adapted for young adults by Monique Gray Smith. This new edition reinforces how wider ecological understanding stems from listening to the earth’s oldest teachers: the plants around us.
As a writer and a scientist, her interests in restoration include not only restoration of ecological communities, but restoration of our relationships to land. She holds a BS in Botany from SUNY ESF, an MS and PhD in Botany from the University of Wisconsin and is the author of numerous scientific papers on plant ecology, bryophyte ecology, traditional knowledge and restoration ecology. She lives on an old farm in upstate New York, tending gardens both cultivated and wild.
– from author Robin Wall Kimmerer’s website.
About the Illustrator
Naoko Stoop’s love of drawing began when she was a young child growing up in Japan. Naoko now lives and paints in Brooklyn, New York. She uses found materials including plywood and brown paper bags as her canvas. She has illustrated a number of picture books, including her own Red Knit Cap Girl series, the first of which was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book. Through her artwork, she hopes to inspire the child within everyone.
– from HarperCollins Publishers
About the Honored Guest
Born in Superior, WI, Lac Courte Orielles Band member Dawn White has moved across the continental United States multiple times before landing back in the Great Lakes region. She earned a B.S. in Biology and an M.S. in Organismal Biology and Ecology. When asked why she works with GLIFWC, she stated, “Spirits in my dreams led me here, and there was an opening. I get to work with our sacred gifts.”
– from GLIFWC
Discussion Questions
- Bud notices that all the people in her life have important things to do. What are important things that you notice the people in your life doing?
- Bud visits Nokomis, her grandma, when she has a problem. Who do you go to when you need help?
- Bud notices how everything needs everything else to live. What connections does she notice? What connections do you notice in your schoolyard, backyard, and community?
Discussion questions from HarperCollins Classroom Kit prepared by Odia Wood-Krueger.
Learning Activities
- Use the Merlin app created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to identify which birds sing your favorite songs, then share with a classmate.
- Bud is seen with many butterflies in the book. Decorate your own butterfly and hang them up to create a display!
- Brainstorm ways that the Earth takes care of you, and what you do to take care of the Earth. Then, write down 3 ways you will start showing your gratitude toward the Earth.
Adapted from the HarperCollins Classroom Kit prepared by Odia Wood-Krueger.
Explore More
- Explore the Activity Guides and Teaching Guide from HarperCollins.
- Join Robin Wall Kimmerer’s “Plant Baby Plant” movement.
- Listen to an interview with Robin Wall Kimmerer on Books are Good Medicine.
- Watch a book trailer for Bud Finds Her Gift by Magic of Words.