Berry Song

At the edge of a wild wide sea, up in the far north, a young girl is learning from her grandmother -- learning about how to live on and with the land. Learning about how to respect the land and the plants and animals with whom we share space.

That is the underlying story of illustrator and author Michaela Goade’s book Berry Song.

The berries in the title come on for exploration and discovery as part of this.

“Salmonberry, cloudberry, blueberry, nagoonberry...” and other sorts of berries are named several times in a recurring way that brings out the rhythms of Goode’s story.

Illustrations of the berries, of the forests in which they grow, of the edges of that wild wide sea, carry the story too. It is a story which includes bringing those berries home and making food to share with family and friends.

That aspect of sharing aligns too with the ideas of connection to forest, shoreline, sea, night sky. The gentle yet firm and songlike way elders share respect for the land and the way that younger generation folk come to know it is right to past this knowledge along are present, too.

This a picture book, to be sure, a short book which young children and early readers will enjoy. Adults and older siblings could have fun sharing it with those younger ones, as well.

Berry Song is not just for children, though. Goade’s illustrations are thoughtful, beautiful and engaging. They offer as much to contemplate as do Goode’s words; together they are even more powerful.

In notes at the end of the book, Goade shares some of her story of having grown up at the edge of the wild wide sea in Alaska. That story continues: She still lives in Sitka, and is a member of the Tlingit people.

“All year long I excitedly wait for berry season, for the juicy salmonberries that strum the first notes of berry song, and the cranberries after the first freeze that signal its end,” Goade writes. “Every time I wander back into the forest, I am a little kid again, spellbound by the magic and joy of the berry song.”

Magic and joy come through clearly in both word and art in Berry Song.

There is inspiration in those end notes, too, as Goade offers ideas on ways to take some of the themes of Berry Song into action.

Speak to the land, take care of the land, we are part of the land are the lessons Goode offers ideas about in this section. Learn names of the berries, take only what you need, work to respect wild lands are but three ideas you will find here. There is also the chance to learn a few words in Tlingit language.

Berry Song is a picture book for young readers, to be sure. It holds words, illustrations, and ideas that young children, their older siblings, and adults of all ages will enjoy as well.

You may also wish to see
Music, nature, art, mystery, poetry: Spell Songs II: Let the Light In
Another children’s book not for children only: Build a House from musician Rhiannon Giddens,
Music inspired by the Cairngorms forest in Scotland: The Woods from Hamish Napier

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music and focus

Each piece of music holds as many shifting patterns of a sunrise, or an afternoon thunderstorm, or a night of stars: listening, playing, or creating it, or even just hearing it as you are passing, you can move in and out of all the aspects it offers. There’s melody, there’s rhythm, tone, history, timbre, voice, newness and familiarity, association and reflection, there’s throughline which connects all of these. Music is framed in time, it’s true, and one of the things that matters is to give a piece of music its own time, to live with it, to allow it to speak to you as it will.

One of the things about the music we consider here along the music road is that much of it comes from heritage music, music that is handed down, either pieces which are directly that and played and heard in our own time, or music inspired by heritage. There’s a saying -- by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, I think -- that you can’t step in the same river twice because you will have changed and the river will have changed. That’s true when one listens to, plays, and creates music as well. There’s much to be learned from considering all of that.

To go along with these ideas you may wish to see
Through Wind and Rain
music, silence, and spiritual journey
music and intention

Though it’s been a bit quiet here along the music road of late, have no worries, there’s much more good stuff to come. As always, I invite you to explore the more than seven years of ideas here in the archives, as well.

Also, I’ve been working on several book ideas, and you may wish to take a look at several stories I’ve done elsewhere

At Perceptive Travel, an encounter with the Lewis chessmen and their Nordic history, and walk through the murals in the Bogside of Derry.

At A Traveler’s Library, music for a Canada road trip

At Wandering Educators, eight songwriters tackle an interesting challenge and come up with thoughtful, funny, and engaging songs in The Cecil Sharp Project, and more about Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, an artist you’ve met here along the music road, in West of Ireland to the World

photograph was made in Derry, Northern Ireland, and is copyrighted. thank you for respecting this.

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