The Heartbeat Drum by Deidre Havrelock, illustrated by Aphelandra

The winter solstice has passed. Every year, I look forward to the sense of renewal and hope that comes with the lengthening days, the additional sunlight. Today I want to call attention to people who bring light and hope to others. As author Deidre Havrelock and illustrator Aphelandra share in their new picture book biography, THE HEARTBEAT DRUM, Cree drummer and activist Carol Powder is one such person.

Carol grew up with her extended family in Alberta, Canada, listening to her great-grandfather Moshum’s drumming and her grandmother Kokum’s singing. The Cree song that is featured throughout the book means, “We are strong. We are singing. And we will continue.” I tear up every time I read those powerful and poignant lyrics.

It is Moshum who makes Carol her own first hand drum from moose hide with a willow branch drumstick, and he tells her that she is “gifted with song, and in the future, [she] will become a singer.” Moreover, Moshum foresees that their cultural ways will change and it is Carol who will lead women and children back to the drum. When Carol asks why, Moshum replies, “Because that’s the only time anyone’s going to heal.” Wow. I can’t imagine being given such an important and heavy mission at such a young age, but Havrelock’s text and Aphelandra’s luminous art shows Carol’s joyful reaction and spirit.

After Moshum’s passing, Carol continued to drum and taught her own children and other women to drum, too. When she formed a female drumming group called Chubby Cree, she found that Moshum’s words had come true. Women drummers were no longer welcomed at powwows. Although she was afraid, Carol used her voice and her drum to speak up and educate others — not just about drumming but “about the importance of honoring women–even when they are at the drum.”

In her Author’s Note, Havrelock says, “In many Indigenous cultures, women are honored as powerful because Creator gave them the power to create life. Unfortunately, today this power is sometimes seen as a dangerous quality. But the power of women is positive–women and girls bring life and joy!” More than ever, we need people to understand that, on a global scale. Carol now continues to perform with Chubby Cree, bringing light and healing, life and joy, to all who listen.

THE HEARTBEAT DRUM has received starred reviews from Kirkus and SLJ, as well as being selected as a “Best Books of 2024” by the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature. I fully expect the accolades to pile up for this gorgeous and inspiring book!

Deidre Havrelock is a member of Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Alberta, Canada. She was raised in Edmonton, Alberta, and is the author of Why We Dance: A Story of Hope and Healing, Buffalo Wild!, and Indigenous Ingenuity: A Celebration of Traditional North American Knowledge, coauthored with Edward Kay. She lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis, with her family. Find her online at DeidreHavrelock.com & IG: @deidrehavrelock.

Aphelandra is a designer, illustrator, and bookworm who has been drawing ever since she can remember. Her passion for visual storytelling led her to work in the fields of greeting cards and children’s books. As a descendant of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, Aphelandra is especially proud to use her art to help tell the stories of Indigenous people. Find her online at aphelandraw.com & IG: @aphelandraw.

Happy winter solstice and holidays to all who celebrate! Thank you for reading my posts on Picture Book Builders. May the new year bring healing and hope to us all. ~Andrea