NPM 2022 Day 20: Walking on Earth & Touching the Sky

Today’s book is a bit older, but it is a collection of student work that’s absolutely lovely.

Every poem of WALKING ON EARTH & TOUCHING THE SKY is written by Lakota students in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grades at Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.  It is their teacher, Timothy P. McLaughlin (also a poet), who collected their poems with the help of the school administration.  The art is all done by Lakota artist S. D. Nelson.

This is a collection that is powerful and stunning in it’s breadth of subject matter and the depth of responses in such quick succinct little sound bites.  And that doesn’t even begin to describe it.  It’s beautifully put together.  I had many favorites, but I share this one today (and the illustration on the page with it):

And if you’re looking for more poetry fun this month, be sure to check out the Kidlitosphere Event Roundup!