Magnificent Cover Reveal: Buffy Sainte-Marie and Julie Flett Present Still This Love Goes On

I was born in 1978. As a child, my impressions of Native Americans in my children’s programming was tainted by images and portrayals found in Disney movies like Peter Pan or old Warner Brother cartoons. There were some exceptions, though. Sesame Street was the only place that offered cartoons like this or featured performers like Cree First Nation singer/songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie. Buffy’s appearances on the show ranged from songs to this still groundbreaking scene where she explains breastfeeding to Big Bird. On top of that she’s an Academy-award winning singer-songwriter and the first Indigenous person to win an Oscar, for her song “Up Where We Belong,” which won Best Original Song at the 55th Academy Awards – Sainte-Marie’s music has also been covered by Elvis, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Cher, and many others.

More recently she’s been making picture books from some from her songs. The latest? Still This Love Goes On. Here’s how it goes:

The picture book of Still This Love Goes On is based on the song of the same name. Due to be published on September 27th, it is being illustrated by the incomparable Cree artist Julie Flett. You know Julie’s work, right? I put her picture book Under the Trapline on my most recent Caldenott list. Meanwhile her picture book We All Play, was named a Best Children’s Book of 2021 from the New York Times, Washington Post, Horn Book, Boston Globe, Kirkus Reviews, Globe and Mail, New York Public Library and more.

The publisher description reads:

“Based on Academy Award-winning Cree icon Buffy Sainte-Marie’s song of the same name, Still This Love Goes On is a stunning celebration of Indigenous experience. Breathtaking illustrations from celebrated Cree–Métis artist Julie Flett combine with Sainte-Marie’s vivid lyrics to craft a remarkable piece of art. 

Destined to be read and sung for generations, this gem of a picture book is accompanied by: 

– Sheet music so that readers can play along 

– A note from Sainte-Marie about her much-admired song “

So today, it is my incredible delight to premiere for you the cover of this Sainte-Marie/Flett collaboration. And it is, as you can see, one of the most beautiful I have ever featured on this site:

Thank you to Deborah Sloan and the folks at Greystone Kids for allowing me to show off this beautiful book. Still This Love Goes On is out September 27th on bookstore and library shelves everywhere.

Filed under: Cover Reveal