This gorgeous illustrated picture book celebrates girlhood. The illustrations add vibrancy to the text, and both work together to create a picture book full of love and joy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book! All opinions are my own.

What a beautiful and heartfelt journey that feels like coming home. Joy Harjo’s words wrap around you like a song, while Adriana Garcia’s artwork brings every emotion to life.

The story follows a young girl as she grows, surrounded by family, nature, history, and love. Every page feels like a celebration of culture, connection, and becoming. The ties to the earth, ancestors, and community are woven so naturally into the story that you can feel not just the weight and beauty of it all, but also the embrace of the family, but also of the larger community.

Though I’m not Indigenous, and I come from a Latine background with roots in Taíno and African cultures, this resonated with me so deeply. More than just a song or a poem it felt like remembering of deeply rooted memories of our ancestors and lineage and peoples. It’s for children to start connecting with their roots, but also for adults to remember or come back those connections.

The art is stunning, vibrant, and full of soul. Every detail pulls you deeper into the story. Even if you're not familiar with Native symbolism, the book welcomes the reader with grace and respect.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

For a Girl Becoming (Volume 66) (Sun Tracks)
For a Girl Becoming (Volume 66) (Sun Tracks)
by Joy Harjo
The hopes and wishes of a mother. The dreams and future of a society. Beautiful pictures showing the ideals of childbirth and life.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This is a beautiful book about welcoming a young baby girl into the world. It's filled with love across multiple generations and provides guidance as she carries on throughout her life. Joy Harjo's stunning prose is accompanied by incredible illustrations, and makes this book the perfect gift for any young girl.

A wonderful book! The poem is a beautiful celebration of life and hopes/wishes for the future of this baby girl. It goes on to explain how to go through milestones in development to how to teach everyone around her as she grows older. The illustrations are very captivating and I loved how the horse is illustrated in every page, moving alongside the little girl as she grows, demonstrating Native American culture.

This is a gorgeously illustrated story/poem for a baby girl being born into a family and all they want and wish for her as she grows up.

The story/poem is beautiful [though I struggled to read it on some of the pages] and I found myself wanting to read it again as soon as I finished it.

A beautiful book for a family expecting a baby girl, little girl, or even a teen girl, into their lives; everyone who read this will resonate with the story/poem in one way or another and you will find yourself deeply touched by what you've read.

Highly recommend this gorgeous book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Joy Harjo, Adriana Garcia - Illustrator, and W. W. Norton & Company/Norton Young Readers for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This gorgeously illustrated poem makes for a stunning picture book. This is a beautiful celebration of life and Native American culture. Community and family are central to the message of how one lives a life of gratitude while also supporting others along their journey.

A truly GORGEOUS book celebrating new life, family, and conenction. Harjo's poetry is poignant and beautiful. The paintings are full of color and movement, filling each page to the brim. I can't wait to see a physical copy of this book since even the digital copy was amazing.

How does one go about nominating a children's book for an award for the most beautiful illustrations? Asking for a friend...

Despite the free ARC of this book, and the fact that my children are mostly finished with picture books, I will be buying this book anyway because it is too beautiful; in both image and word.

Joy Hajaro's poem featured here isn't new, but Andriana Garcia's lush, rich and captivating illustrations bring it to life in such a captivating way that the words on the page alone can't accomplish.

Joy Hajaro was already in my top ten poets and now I have a new Illustrator to love and look out for too.

I really enjoyed this book. I did go into it with the impression that it was a poetry book and it reads more as a children's book. Either way, I loved it and would buy it for my daughter. The artwork is stunning and the story and storytelling is beautiful.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The illustrations are outstanding in this lovely picture book, and ode to a baby girl. The words flow beautifully and take the reader through a joyful birth story and hopeful dreams for a child's future. As with most books of this kind, it feels like a book more for parents than children, but every child should have words like these said to them by family.

In this children's book, a family and community come together in celebration of a new baby's arrival. They celebrate the birth and offer praise, love, and advice to help carry her forward through the milestones to come, and reminding her always of how deeply she is cherished.

The illustrations are golden, with swirls and and curves like the. cadence of the poem. It's dreamlike. I enjoyed the connection of nature, family and community highlighted in the book.

This would make an awesome gift to a family who expects or just had a baby. I would reread the book for every birthday of the child to remind them and myself of how important they are.

This is a beautifully illustrated poem of a children's book. My children enjoyed this. It is more literary than plot, so some children may not enjoy.

The art for this book is absolutely stunning... I couldn't get over it. This book is important for indigenous children and families- the characters in this book are a positive reflection of this community and creates a beautifully uplifting story through the text. I'd recommend this book for ages kindergarten and up since the text is a little lengthy. This would also make a beautiful bedtime story for children.

Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This book is a must buy for baby. I have read some of Harjo's poetry in the past, but the combination of her and Belpré's words and the beautiful illustrations of Garcia make this book something special. It is full of cultural significance and love.

I want each of these pages framed in my house if I ever have a baby girl! The rich poetry paired with vibrant art creates such a beautiful, emotional message passed down through family and ancestors that tugs at the heart. While it might be a bit lengthy, the extra pages resulted in more stunning imagery, so I can't complain too much!

Thank you W. W. Norton & Company | Norton Young Readers & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

For a Girl Becoming is a beautifully illustrated poem that serves as both a blessing and a guide for a young girl as she journeys through life. Joy Harjo’s lyrical verse emphasizes the deep connections between the girl and the natural world, her family, her ancestors, and her community, reminding her of the responsibilities and magic that come with these ties. Paired with Adriana Garcia’s striking illustrations, the poem celebrates growth, belonging, and the power of relationships in shaping one’s path.

As a new mom to a daughter, this book resonated with me in a way it might not have before—I could feel the weight and warmth of its message more deeply. Harjo’s words are thoughtful and powerful, offering wisdom that feels both deeply personal and universal. The illustrations complement the text beautifully, adding depth and emotion to the journey. It’s a lovely and meaningful book, one that would make a great gift for any young girl standing at the threshold of her own becoming.

This may be one of the best children's books I have read in quite a while. Stunning visuals and the story is incredibly moving and heartwarming. Beautiful representation for Natives everywhere.

With tender, heartfelt words and deep, sweeping illustrations, For a Girl Becoming is a beautiful prayer for the life to come of a newly-born baby girl. Generations of family celebrate her arrival and a blessing unfolds in verse as we follow her through her journey.

This book struck chords in all the best places. As a parent of my own daughter, I felt the echoes of my own wishes for her in its language. The illustrations by Adriana García in this upcoming edition enhance the text with incredible majesty, rich imagery, and a fragrance of the mystical as it guides your eye across its pages. I was moved by its beauty and the effortless way the graphics and poetry all wound themselves together in a perfect work of art, and heart.

Thanks to W.W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

5 stars

Thank you to Norton Young Readers and NetGalley for a digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

This book is beautiful - with illustrations that are not only STUNNING but also deeply meaningful. It serves as a beautiful tribute to Native American heritage, thoughtfully highlighting the profound generational connection to the land, nature, and the people who carry forward their traditions. We LOVE representation - Native children, in particular, will find themselves seen and celebrated in a way that is both authentic and empowering.

The narrative follows the journey of a young girl from the moment she is born into adulthood, weaving together themes of ancestry, a deep connection to the natural world, and how deeply rooted her identity is in the land and the culture that surrounds her. The illustrations use intricate and rich imagery to convey complex ideas and emotions. While some of the symbolism and cultural concepts might be unfamiliar to those who have not exposed themselves to Native American traditions, it offers a valuable opportunity to learn and explore these beautiful traditions in a respectful and meaningful way. Although the book is recommended for children aged 4-8, teens and even adults will love this as well.