Review Detail

‘The First Blade of Sweetgrass’ by Suzanne Greenlaw and Gabriel Frey, illustrations by Nancy Baker, tells the story of Musqon and her grandmother as they pick grass for basket making. Musqon must learn how to properly tell the various grasses apart, and her grandmother gives her tips and tricks to do so. The story delves into the tradition of the art of picking grass, harkening back to Musqon’s ancestors who used to pick sweetgrass themselves. It also details the future of her people, as she leaves the first blade of sweetgrass for the coming generations, so they will have their own sweetgrass to pick and stories to tell.

The illustrations are beautiful and mesmerizing as they take readers right into the story, feeling as though they’re present with Musqon and her grandmother during the grass picking. Images of baskets that contain the picked sweetgrass are shown, and the beauty of the land is clearly evident in the picturesque pages.

It was especially nice to see a glossary and some back matter about the story behind the book, including how sweetgrass is used beyond basket making. It is a beautiful tale of tradition, coming of age, and family.