Winter's Gifts
Join Dani as she teaches her friends about the gifts of winter and the beauty found in its slowness.
Themes: Tradition, remembrance, gratitude, relations to nature
About the Author & Honored Guest
“Kaitlin B. Curtice is an award-winning author, poet-storyteller, and public speaker. As an enrolled citizen of the Potawatomi nation, Kaitlin writes on the intersections of spirituality and identity. She also speaks on these topics to diverse audiences who are interested in truth-telling and healing. Besides her books, Kaitlin has written online for Sojourners, Religion News Service, On Being, SELF Magazine, Oprah Daily, and more. Her work has been featured on CBS and in USA Today. She currently lives in Philadelphia with her family,”
-Bio taken from Strong Nations
About the Illustrator
“Gloria Felix was born and raised in Uruapan a beautiful small city in Mexico, one of her biggest inspirations when it comes to Art. Her favorite things to do growing up were drawing, watching cartoons and eating, which still are some of her favorite things to do. During High School Gloria realized she wanted to be an artist for a living so she moved to Guadalajara where she got a BA in Animation and Digital Art. She learned all kinds of 3D software but she always enjoyed drawing and painting the most. The constant desire to keep developing her skills led her to San Francisco where she acquired a MFA in Visual Development. Her hobbies include weightlifting, life drawing and plein-air painting with her boyfriend and friends. Currently she lives and paints in Los Angeles,”
-Bio taken from Astound Us
Discussion Questions
Even though Dani is scared to show her freinds her tree, she sitll decides to be brave and show them anyway. Has there ever been a time you were afraid but still did something?
What are ways you can slow down and enjoy the Earth’s gifts in the winter?
What do you think was the importance of Dani’s dream that she had in the book?
Learning Activities
With an adult, go outside and simply observe the world around you. What all did you observe? Are there any things you initially looked over?
Write a song or story that you could can share about the gifts of winter.
With an adult or friend, think about ways you can rest and honor the winter season.
Explore More
Explore this resource which is a dictionary for the Potawatomi language.
Learn more about traditional Potawatomi stories and games during bbon (winter) here.
Learn more about the history of the Potawatomi from the Milwaukee Public Museum and the Forest County Potawatomi Timeline.
Similar to the Potawatomi, the Ojibwe also view the winter season as a sacred time of storytelling. Learn more about this tradition from this interview from Minnesota Public Radio.