Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: A Guide to the Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
- Downloads：3762
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-10-29 10:51:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Robin Wall Kimmerer
- ISBN：1728458994
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Drawing from her experiences as an Indigenous scientist， botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer demonstrated how all living things--from strawberries and witch hazel to water lilies and lichen--provide us with gifts and lessons every day in her best-selling book Braiding Sweetgrass。 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。 With informative sidebars， reflection questions， and art from illustrator Nicole Neidhardt， Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults brings Indigenous wisdom， scientific knowledge， and the lessons of plant life to a new generation。
Reviews
Nikki King
，
The original book is something that everyone should have in their personal library。 This young adult/teen adaptation was outstanding。 The stories and information regarding Natives is phenomenal。 I am very excited to recommend this revamping to others who have also enjoyed the original after publication date。
wanderonwards
，
Thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for sending me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review。Braiding Sweetgrass is one of those books that I recommend to everyone: I first read it in 2021 and it’s stayed in my mind ever since。 For me， it was that exceptional of a read。 So it should come as no shock to anyone that I was thrilled to learn there was a young adult adaptation in the works。This YA version of Braiding Sweetgrass was everything I look for in a young reader’s adaptation Thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for sending me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review。Braiding Sweetgrass is one of those books that I recommend to everyone: I first read it in 2021 and it’s stayed in my mind ever since。 For me， it was that exceptional of a read。 So it should come as no shock to anyone that I was thrilled to learn there was a young adult adaptation in the works。This YA version of Braiding Sweetgrass was everything I look for in a young reader’s adaptation: presenting the ideas of the original in an engaging and teen-accessible way while preserving the feeling of the original and offering something new。 I don’t have both copies to compare chapter-by-chapter， but the YA version seems to stay fairly true to the original。 Of course， not everything can be included， but there are a couple of original essays new to this version。 Two of my favorite new additions for the YA adaptation are the incredible illustrations and questions throughout that encourage action and further self-reflection。Overall， this is an excellent young reader’s adaptation of one of my favorite reads。 I will definitely be adding a copy to my library。 Thank you again to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for the opportunity to review an ARC。 。。。more
Karen （kmo。reads）
，
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the #gifted copy。 I have been fascinated with Sweetgrass since living in Charleston and watching people making baskets。 I was excited to read this book to learn more about it。 I was not disappointed。 It really is a great source to learning about Sweetgrass。
Nikki
，
I read the original version of this book and loved it。 As a school librarian， I was thrilled to see it adapted for young readers。 This edition does not disappoint。 The encompassing warmth of the author's connection with nature comes through just as strongly here as in the original book。 Perhaps even more。 This book will draw readers in and hold them captive in the best way。 As seen through the author's lens， nature and its impact on all of us， is clear and manifest。 The message is simple; if you I read the original version of this book and loved it。 As a school librarian， I was thrilled to see it adapted for young readers。 This edition does not disappoint。 The encompassing warmth of the author's connection with nature comes through just as strongly here as in the original book。 Perhaps even more。 This book will draw readers in and hold them captive in the best way。 As seen through the author's lens， nature and its impact on all of us， is clear and manifest。 The message is simple; if you let it， nature will guide and change your life in ways you cannot imagine。 I can't recommend this book enough。 It should be in every middle school and high school library。 。。。more
Zoe Elizabeth （Booksatlunch）
，
Unfortunately， this book fell pretty flat for me compared to the original。 I'm so gutted about the textbookification of this edition - especially the definitions。 Some of them come off as pretty condescending - even for teens。 I would have rather a YA edition that didn't feel like it was for classrooms but for teens who are actually excited for learning about the intersection of Indigenous practices and modern science。 The prose is pared down and less dense， but still does a really wonderful job Unfortunately， this book fell pretty flat for me compared to the original。 I'm so gutted about the textbookification of this edition - especially the definitions。 Some of them come off as pretty condescending - even for teens。 I would have rather a YA edition that didn't feel like it was for classrooms but for teens who are actually excited for learning about the intersection of Indigenous practices and modern science。 The prose is pared down and less dense， but still does a really wonderful job at showing the beauty of Kimmerer's original prose and the magic behind her works。 The illustrations are also STUNNING and add so much to the story。 I would love an illustrated version of the original full text。 Overall， I'm hoping that this will get some teens interested in this book， but I think this adaptation did some disservice to itself and appealing to teens outside of a classroom。Thanks to the publishers for a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Syntaxx
，
Miigweetch NetGalley and Zest Books for sending this book for review consideration。 All opinions are my own。I am Indigenous and have been hearing about the original version of this book since before it was published。 “Braiding Sweetgrass” has been recommended to me numerous times by numerous sources （it was even selected for my friend’s church book club！）， nevertheless， I just never quite got around to reading it。 When I saw this version for young adults， I jumped at the chance to review it and Miigweetch NetGalley and Zest Books for sending this book for review consideration。 All opinions are my own。I am Indigenous and have been hearing about the original version of this book since before it was published。 “Braiding Sweetgrass” has been recommended to me numerous times by numerous sources （it was even selected for my friend’s church book club！）， nevertheless， I just never quite got around to reading it。 When I saw this version for young adults， I jumped at the chance to review it and I have not been disappointed。 The book is beautifully illustrated and the ideas are moving， powerful， and most importantly， accessible。 The author does a fantastic job of breaking these complex concepts down into digestible bits that anyone can understand and begin to engage with。 The illustrations are gorgeous and provide good context to the text。 I recommend this book to anyone seeking to understand Indigenous ways of knowing， environmentalists， and young people in general because the world they are inheriting is literally on fire and this might be the survival handbook they need to make it into the next future。 。。。more
Christine
，
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a sample chapter of "Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults"。 Below is my honest review of the first chapter。 I picked up this book because I had actually read part of the original version in college for one of my sociology/environmental studies courses。 I was really glad to see another version for young adults， not because the original is hard to read， but because I think it would attract more readers。 So， this chapter is the author's （Robin Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a sample chapter of "Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults"。 Below is my honest review of the first chapter。 I picked up this book because I had actually read part of the original version in college for one of my sociology/environmental studies courses。 I was really glad to see another version for young adults， not because the original is hard to read， but because I think it would attract more readers。 So， this chapter is the author's （Robin Wall Kimmerer） reasoning for becoming a botanist。 Very quickly， you learn that Kimmerer is Native American and that her perspective of the world is very different than a non-Native American。 For example， she views plants as "teachers and companions" rather than mere objects。 She has a beautiful way of writing that grabs attention of the reader that incorporates the culture that she grew up in。 Additionally， the sample chapter is very simple and short。 It comes with pictures and word boxes to separate/emphasize different ideas。 The color theme sticks to black/grey/various shades of green， which fit the theme of the book。 The chapter ends with some discussion questions that I suspect instructors can use for their classes。 One of the benefits of this chapter is that it's short; it's about eight pages long。 And having worked with youth for a couple of years， I've learned very quickly that many youth don't like to read。 But I think this chapter gets the point across rather quickly， which would allow the reader to maintain attention and learn something without getting bored。 Overall， I would love to read the rest of this book as I did not read the whole original book while in college。 It's quick and easy to read while also exploring a different perspective on how our relationship with nature can be， and should be， different。 。。。more
Casey Johnson
，
Never did I think Braiding Sweetgrass could be made even better… but here we are。 I cannot wait to use this in the classroom。 It will be a core memory for the kids。
Kim Cabrera
，
This is a short， seven-page， one-chapter look at the book to come。 This introductory look has me intrigued。 I read Braiding Sweetgrass not long ago and loved every minute of it。 This version is for young adults and is written in a way to introduce the scientific concepts to a younger audience。 The author includes the Indigenous perspective and talks about how science and traditional ecological knowledge can be used together。 It's a great way to understand the world。 The author is well-known and This is a short， seven-page， one-chapter look at the book to come。 This introductory look has me intrigued。 I read Braiding Sweetgrass not long ago and loved every minute of it。 This version is for young adults and is written in a way to introduce the scientific concepts to a younger audience。 The author includes the Indigenous perspective and talks about how science and traditional ecological knowledge can be used together。 It's a great way to understand the world。 The author is well-known and this book promises to be an instant classic and one that every school library should have on hand for its students。 。。。more
James Estrella
，
Thank you to NetGalley and the authors for an advanced copy of this young adult adaptation of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass。 As a community college educator， I’m constantly looking for accessible， affordable， and challenging texts to assign in my ethnic and gender studies classes。 I typically refrain from assigning young adult adaptations since I find most to be a bit too simplistic， even for young adults。 However， this young readers adaptation is different。 An emphasis on key passag Thank you to NetGalley and the authors for an advanced copy of this young adult adaptation of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass。 As a community college educator， I’m constantly looking for accessible， affordable， and challenging texts to assign in my ethnic and gender studies classes。 I typically refrain from assigning young adult adaptations since I find most to be a bit too simplistic， even for young adults。 However， this young readers adaptation is different。 An emphasis on key passages and discussion prompts is helpful for youth and adults alike。 The adaptation doesn’t include a couple essays that are in the original， but this is a plus if you’re looking for a shorter read to assign in classes with supplemental materials or if your community read is on a shorter timeline。 And the art！ Beautiful and worthy of dialogue on its own。 I also appreciate that the art is by Indigenous creatives。Overall， this text would work well in any introductory Indigenous Studies， Ethnic Studies， or environmental justice course。 It’s also great if you’re looking for a shorter adaption that doesn’t sacrifice the original’s depth and complexity of ideas。 I can’t wait to share it in class and with my local neighborhood read。 A solid adaptation of an already stellar book that I can’t recommend enough。 。。。more
Novel Obsession
，
I purchased a copy of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass when it first came out。 I wanted to support a book written by an Indigenous person who is also a scientist。 I had hoped that it would be as good as the hype。 It was， and is。 There isn’t anything quite like it。 When I was offered a chance to read Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults， I definitely wanted to check it out。 I work with a lot of teens and hoped that this would be a great addition。 The book is good， but I feel like it has I purchased a copy of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass when it first came out。 I wanted to support a book written by an Indigenous person who is also a scientist。 I had hoped that it would be as good as the hype。 It was， and is。 There isn’t anything quite like it。 When I was offered a chance to read Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults， I definitely wanted to check it out。 I work with a lot of teens and hoped that this would be a great addition。 The book is good， but I feel like it has been simplified too much for that demographic。 Your average teen reading this book doesn’t need to have the word botany defined for them。 Many of the social issues are much too simplified。 Personally， I would rather give the original version a recommendation to teens over this YA edition。Disclaimer: A copy of this book was provided by the publisher。 。。。more
M Samuell
，
I first learned of Robin Wall Kimmerer during her guest interview on the podcast "Ologies with Alie Ward'， Robin is a profound speaker and has an unparalleled passion for Indigenous Botany。 I never knew American plant life could be so awe-inspiring！ I have had Braiding Sweetgrass on my TBR ever since。 Conceptually， Kimmerer weaves an engaging narrative from the first page。 （Who doesn't love an underdog in STEAM？） However， I feel as though the 'Young Adult' model may be unfairly balanced。 The sid I first learned of Robin Wall Kimmerer during her guest interview on the podcast "Ologies with Alie Ward'， Robin is a profound speaker and has an unparalleled passion for Indigenous Botany。 I never knew American plant life could be so awe-inspiring！ I have had Braiding Sweetgrass on my TBR ever since。 Conceptually， Kimmerer weaves an engaging narrative from the first page。 （Who doesn't love an underdog in STEAM？） However， I feel as though the 'Young Adult' model may be unfairly balanced。 The sidenotes in the first chapter alone offer definitions for concepts like 'botany' and 'worldview' yet expect the reader to understand things like 'energetic reciprocity' and the history of Indian Boarding Schools。 In a guided lesson these topics could be explored with the depth that they deserve。 As a recreational read， however， I cannot envision many teenagers/young adults staying the course。 I would like to give this introduction a 5/5 for storytelling alone， but the sample is too short to properly gage relative interest。 As a result， I will settle for 3/5 and eagerly anticipate the full release。 。。。more
Susan Underbrink
，
A big thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group/Zest Books for the sample。 I was disappointed that the sample was literally 7 pages。 I don't feel that this is enough to leave a decent review。 But， I am voluntarily leaving my thoughts。 This seems like it will be a super interesting book。 There are photos of the plants but they are in black and white。 To me， they are not as effective。 Why not in color？ It makes identifying plants so much easier to seem in color。 My disappointment overrode A big thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group/Zest Books for the sample。 I was disappointed that the sample was literally 7 pages。 I don't feel that this is enough to leave a decent review。 But， I am voluntarily leaving my thoughts。 This seems like it will be a super interesting book。 There are photos of the plants but they are in black and white。 To me， they are not as effective。 Why not in color？ It makes identifying plants so much easier to seem in color。 My disappointment overrode my interest for now。 So for me， this is just 2 stars。 I will see if I can get a copy of the entire book and hopefully change my rating。 。。。more
ChristineReads
，
I thought this was a beautiful introduction to this book。 I loved how much you could hear the authors voice while reading it。 The way she approaches the subject matter is engaging and delightful， while shedding light on how science can still look at problems too narrowly。 I thought it was beautifully written and engaging， and It felt like an read that I could easily learn from。 I loved how she highlighted her culture and how it was interwoven into how she views science。 I think it was well done I thought this was a beautiful introduction to this book。 I loved how much you could hear the authors voice while reading it。 The way she approaches the subject matter is engaging and delightful， while shedding light on how science can still look at problems too narrowly。 I thought it was beautifully written and engaging， and It felt like an read that I could easily learn from。 I loved how she highlighted her culture and how it was interwoven into how she views science。 I think it was well done and easy to follow and great to learn from！ 。。。more
Carrie
，
“I was teaching the names of plants but ignoring their songs。”The author invites us to relate to the natural world as more than objects of study， scores of data。 Her experience of listening to native elders and reconnecting to her way of knowing prior to the demands of white colonizer academia extends an invitation to the reader to see， to know， to behold in new and rich ways。Thank you to Net Galley for an advance preview。
Elizabeth
，
This is a review of only the first chapter of Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults。 Thank you to NetGalley， Robin Wall Kimmerer， Monique Gray Smith and Zest Books for this advance reader's selection。 I love the beauty and warmth of the author's writing when she is talking about plants。 She obviously has a great love of the natural world as well as her Indigenous culture。 She illustrates what our relationship with the natural world should be， which tragically it is not for most of us。 This is a f This is a review of only the first chapter of Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults。 Thank you to NetGalley， Robin Wall Kimmerer， Monique Gray Smith and Zest Books for this advance reader's selection。 I love the beauty and warmth of the author's writing when she is talking about plants。 She obviously has a great love of the natural world as well as her Indigenous culture。 She illustrates what our relationship with the natural world should be， which tragically it is not for most of us。 This is a fascinating book for anyone and it is wonderful that the original is being adapted for young people。 They will learn a great deal。 My only trepidation regarding this book is the reference to the horrific way her grandfather was treated because he was an Indigenous person。 I would not fault the author for writing a book about the many ways Indigenous people in our country were mistreated， which is a very mild word for what they have endured。 However， I don't think there is a place for that narrative in this particular book。 This is about "Indigenous Wisdom， Scientific Knowledge， and the Teachings of Plants" and I think it is best served by sticking to that specific theme。 Beautiful chapter， though， and I am excited to see the entire book。 。。。more
Julie
，
I reviewed an ARC chapter of this and am very excited to see the final project！ This beautiful narrative nonfiction work is perfect for young adults and I can't wait until it's finished。 I reviewed an ARC chapter of this and am very excited to see the final project！ This beautiful narrative nonfiction work is perfect for young adults and I can't wait until it's finished。 。。。more
Sam
，
What a gift！ I am blown away with how effectively Robin Wall Kimmerer's journey and heart for storytelling has been translated in this new version for young adults。 Even as an adorer of the original Braiding Sweetgrass， I've found myself wondering if young adult shouldn't have been the real audience all along。 Braiding Sweetgrass is thought provoking， timely， relevant， a joy， and should be required reading for anyone interested in the different ways in which we can relate to and be in relation w What a gift！ I am blown away with how effectively Robin Wall Kimmerer's journey and heart for storytelling has been translated in this new version for young adults。 Even as an adorer of the original Braiding Sweetgrass， I've found myself wondering if young adult shouldn't have been the real audience all along。 Braiding Sweetgrass is thought provoking， timely， relevant， a joy， and should be required reading for anyone interested in the different ways in which we can relate to and be in relation with the world around us。 So what a gift it will be to have a more accessible and visually engaging version of Robin's stories for our young naturalists， environmentalists， and Indigenous youth。I am so thankful to have been given the opportunity to read an advance chapter of Robin Wall Kimmerer's "Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults" and eagerly await its full release this upcoming fall 2022！ 。。。more
Ashleah
，
I read Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom， Scientific Knowledge， and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer just a few months ago。 I recently found out that Monique Gray Smith is adapting it as Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults， which is exciting！ Thanks to NetGalley， I was provided a sample chapter with illustrations by Nicole Neidhardt。 I'm definitely going to be reading the full version once it is released in November 2022。First of all， Neidhardt's illustrations are breathtakin I read Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom， Scientific Knowledge， and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer just a few months ago。 I recently found out that Monique Gray Smith is adapting it as Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults， which is exciting！ Thanks to NetGalley， I was provided a sample chapter with illustrations by Nicole Neidhardt。 I'm definitely going to be reading the full version once it is released in November 2022。First of all， Neidhardt's illustrations are breathtaking， and coordinate perfectly with the text on the page。 There are also photographs of different plants that are being discussed。 I like that there are offset definitions of terms included in the prose， as well， to help the young adults reading the book to understand concepts that might be new to them。 There are also offset discussion questions， to help the reader think critically about the text that they are reading。 At the end of the sample， there are further discussion questions for even deeper critical thinking about the topics that were brought up in this chapter。 。。。more
Kayleigh
，
I read the original edition of Braiding Sweetgrass in a Native American Literature class in graduate school and absolutely fell in love with it。 I’ve taught the original edition to my students a few times （excerpts of certain chapters）， but this edition， with the beautiful illustrations added， makes me more excited to include it in my curriculum than ever。 Absolutely gorgeous additions to an already beautiful book。 Very exciting！
Sydney Young
，
I was lucky enough to review a first chapter sample arc for BRAIDING SWEETGRASS FOR YOUNG ADULTS and have to say that it is gorgeous and thought provoking， and I wish I had been able to read something like this when I was younger。 In the same vein as BRAIDING SWEETGRASS， natural botany and stories figure very much into this chapter， and so I assume the whole book， but with a twist。 The big twist is a story of Kimmerer's educational training and scientific boxing （I don't want to give it away， pl I was lucky enough to review a first chapter sample arc for BRAIDING SWEETGRASS FOR YOUNG ADULTS and have to say that it is gorgeous and thought provoking， and I wish I had been able to read something like this when I was younger。 In the same vein as BRAIDING SWEETGRASS， natural botany and stories figure very much into this chapter， and so I assume the whole book， but with a twist。 The big twist is a story of Kimmerer's educational training and scientific boxing （I don't want to give it away， please read to understand）， and how young adults can learn to think outside the box form a young age。 Absolutely love this and want my own copy when it publishes。 。。。more
Talya Boerner
，
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review the first chapter of Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults （to be published 11/2022）。Author Robin Wall Kimmerer is a botanist and a member of the Potawatomi Nation。 In Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults， she uses personal stories to bring the reader into her world。 She asks thoughtful questions and provides scientific definitions in sidebar notations。 Illustrations are clear and informative。 With prose that is as tranquil as a walk beneath the f Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review the first chapter of Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults （to be published 11/2022）。Author Robin Wall Kimmerer is a botanist and a member of the Potawatomi Nation。 In Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults， she uses personal stories to bring the reader into her world。 She asks thoughtful questions and provides scientific definitions in sidebar notations。 Illustrations are clear and informative。 With prose that is as tranquil as a walk beneath the forest canopy， Kimmerer reminds the reader of the interconnectivity of all living things。 。。。more
Kari
，