Freya Blackwood is an award-winning illustrator of children's books, who draws with a distinct style that is warm, perceptive and immediately recognizable. Since publishing her first picture book in 2003, Freya has won multiple awards, including the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal.

"This is an affecting and beautiful fable of working together and creating something better... Readers will come away with a satisfying appreciation for the power of community. An intensely hopeful story of the capability of societies working together, this is clear enough for preschoolers but carries emotional depths that will be appreciated by older readers."

[STAR] "Saunders's understated prose alludes to traditional ecological knowledge passed down by women elders... Blackwood's illustrations combine warm, earthy tones with deep verdigris teals and sea-glass greens, saturated details with soft-edged blending. Luminous...magical."

[STAR] "Delves into themes of creating a future of balance and community with the natural world, while a slow, rhythmic tone and loose-lined illustrations emphasize saving what's most important."

"Delicate earth-tone watercolor illustrations capture the story's nods to Indigenous cultures, traditions, and wisdom... As the story's messaging widens with hope, so does the lens of the artwork, expanding to capture more and more of the community members and their surroundings, emphasizing the importance of community-building now and for the future."