- Most Popular Audiobooks
- New Audiobooks
- Kids Audiobooks
- Teen Audiobooks
- See all audiobooks collections
From multi-award-winning Gunai author Kirli Saunders and Kate Greenaway Medal-winner Freya Blackwood comes Afloat. Against a backdrop of a changed environment, an Elder leads a child along the waterways, sharing her People's knowledge and gathering community along the way. This uplifting and inspiring picture book uses the practice of weaving as a powerful metaphor for the honoring and teaching of First Nations wisdom, and the coming together of all people to survive, thrive, and create a more hopeful future.
-
Creators
-
Publisher
-
Release date
March 4, 2025 -
Formats
-
Kindle Book
-
OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781646145317
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
Publisher's Weekly
Starred review from December 9, 2024
“Roam the water with me./ We are here to learn.// Here to spin wisdom,/ to grow,” begins a story set in a wooded area, where elders pass on traditions to younger generations. With each page turn, the landscape becomes less wild, with rivers giving way to construction sites. As the landscape changes, a group nevertheless collects and soaks vines, turns them into yarn, and begins weaving rushes (“Here to form bonds,/ to make ties”), slowly building a large, majestic shape that seeks to help the weavers “rise above. To survive... to shape this world together.” This work by two Australian creators, Saunders and Blackwood, 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. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Creators’ notes conclude. Ages 4–8. -
Kirkus
January 15, 2025
In this Australian import, an elder urges the community to lean on Indigenous wisdom in a changing world. The older adult and a child wade into a rushing stream, peering curiously at the life around them: "Roam the water with me. We are here to learn." As the narrative progresses with a series of similar invitations, the lens widens to include more of the pair's community and their environment. Over time, construction machinery and debris appear. Amid landscapes of urban decay, Saunders (Gunai) uses weaving as a metaphor for community-building, demonstrating that Indigenous knowledge can be a source of connection and power as we work toward creating a better world. One spread is dominated by the snarl of a vacant lot crowded with rubbish and a construction crane, but the richly textured images draw readers' eyes to the edge of the page, where a group of neighbors harvest rushes growing on the side of a road. Blackwood's art underscores hope and opportunities to help cultivate the land. Diverse community members work together to gather natural materials, process fiber, and weave vibrant textiles, and as the book reaches a heartwarming conclusion, their vision is at last realized. Though the complexities of Saunders' metaphor may be lost on the youngest readers, all will feel empowered by her overarching message, summed up in her final words: "We are here to fly, here to shape this world together." Reassurance for little ones facing an uncertain world. (author's and illustrator's notes)(Picture book. 4-8)COPYRIGHT(2025) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
-
The Horn Book
March 1, 2025
Saunders, a member of the Gunai people, writes about weaving, water, and wisdom in this picture book first published in Australia. The spare and straightforward text describes yarning, which can refer both to fiber arts and to storytelling. "We are here to collect the vines. Here to find the rushes, to fuse the fibers...to soak and split. To roll between finger and thumb. To yarn...to knot and loop. Here to form bonds, to make ties...to unite." Saunders's understated prose alludes to traditional ecological knowledge passed down by women elders, to rising sea levels and cultural displacement produced by the climate crisis, and to the need to join together to effect change. Blackwood's illustrations combine saturated details with soft-edged blending and warm, earthy tones with deep verdigris teals and sea-glass greens. Scenes of the familiar, realistic landscape (a creek flows through a concrete drain and past industrial sites, skateboarding teens, graffitied walls, and tent encampments) give way to images of the community weaving together and then to the luminous humpback whale-shaped rafts they've created, which "rise above" the storm -- the world we live in. Blackwood uses weaving patterns (inspired by references "from all over the globe") to especially magical effect in embellishing these whale-rafts that float into the night sky: "We are here to fly, here to shape this world together." Lara K. Aase(Copyright 2025 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
-
Booklist
March 1, 2025
Preschool-Grade 3 In spare text, Saunders, a member of the Gunai people of Australia, tells the gentle story of an Elder teaching a child about gathering and weaving practices. Paying homage to Indigenous cultures all over the planet, the story follows the Elder and child along waterways, and a community of people joins them as they collect materials together and simultaneously build intertwining connection to one another as they "weld oneness" and "unite." The delicate earth-tone watercolor illustrations capture the story's nods to Indigenous cultures, traditions, and wisdom, as they zoom out to reveal that the rushes they're gathering are surrounded by encroaching development. 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. While the metaphors and symbolism may be a bit advanced for some young readers, the overall message and emotion of the story shine through and are enhanced by endnotes from the author and illustrator.COPYRIGHT(2025) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
-
School Library Journal
March 28, 2025
PreS-Gr 4-Sometimes, the most effective lessons are the simplest. Afloat is one of those elemental lessons. The story is sparse-the author's notes probably have a higher word count than the main text. However brief, though, this is an affecting and beautiful fable of working together and creating something better. Saunders was inspired by First Nation traditions passed down from Elders. What she writes here is another message passed down from Elders, traditions weaving throughout the community, while the larger message about perseverance rings out. The art embeds wider meanings in the lovely illustrations. The story begins in a cool, idyllic nature setting. Soon, construction machines rise like monsters in the background. Concrete and rubble encroach until nature disappears. Still, the community continues weaving reeds and baskets together, building a gorgeous display that serves as relief and renewal of a lost society. In the back matter, Blackwood says "the first time I read Afloat, I felt tingles at the end." It's perfectly said. Readers will come away with a satisfying appreciation for the power of community. VERDICT 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.-Cat McCarrey
Copyright 2025 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
-
The Horn Book
January 1, 2025
Saunders, a member of the Gunai people, writes about weaving, water, and wisdom in this picture book first published in Australia. The spare and straightforward text describes yarning, which can refer both to fiber arts and to storytelling. "We are here to collect the vines. Here to find the rushes, to fuse the fibers...to soak and split. To roll between finger and thumb. To yarn...to knot and loop. Here to form bonds, to make ties...to unite." Saunders's understated prose alludes to traditional ecological knowledge passed down by women elders, to rising sea levels and cultural displacement produced by the climate crisis, and to the need to join together to effect change. Blackwood's illustrations combine saturated details with soft-edged blending and warm, earthy tones with deep verdigris teals and sea-glass greens. Scenes of the familiar, realistic landscape (a creek flows through a concrete drain and past industrial sites, skateboarding teens, graffitied walls, and tent encampments) give way to images of the community weaving together and then to the luminous humpback whale-shaped rafts they've created, which "rise above" the storm -- the world we live in. Blackwood uses weaving patterns (inspired by references "from all over the globe") to especially magical effect in embellishing these whale-rafts that float into the night sky: "We are here to fly, here to shape this world together."(Copyright 2025 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
-
subjects
Languages
- English
Loading
Why is availability limited?
×Availability can change throughout the month based on the library's budget. You can still place a hold on the title, and your hold will be automatically filled as soon as the title is available again.
The Kindle Book format for this title is not supported on:
×- - Kindle 1
- - Kindle 2
- - Kindle DX
- - Kindle Keyboard
- - Kindle 4
- - Kindle Touch
- - Kindle 5
- - Kindle Paperwhite
- - Kindle 7
- - Kindle Voyage
Read-along ebook
×The OverDrive Read format of this ebook has professional narration that plays while you read in your browser. Learn more here.