Black Snake

We Are Water Protectors presents a complicated example of the role horror can play in children’s literature. This article looks at terrifying, yet powerful imagery in this book, with its implications for both children’s literature as a form of activism and a critical discussion of the topics brought up by Lindstrom and Goade. I argue that horror functions as a mediator capable of bringing topics such as ecocriticism, activism, climate emotions, and colonialism to fruitful discussions in both elementary and university literature classes.