Red Bird Danced by Dawn Quigley (review)

Reviewed by: Red Bird Danced by Dawn Quigley Kate Quealy-Gainer Quigley, Dawn Red Bird Danced. Heartdrum/HarperCollins, 2024 176p Trade ed. ISBN 9780063223622 18. 99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780063223646 8. 99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 4-6 Eleven-year-old Ariel understands that the money for her ballet lessons will be put to better use in the search for her beloved missing aunt, but now she's grieving both her dance and Auntie Bineshiinh despite the comfort of her Ojibwe community. Meanwhile, Tomah, one of her young neighbors in Intertribal Housing Complex, is folding in on himself, struggling with reading and also missing Auntie, who was a supportive voice in his life. After Auntie's body is found, the two try to find a way to help their communities move forward, Ariel through the jingle dancing she has been learning and Tomah with his gift of storytelling. This verse novel is spare but powerful, with the visual formatting especially effective as words tighten, trail, or scatter across otherwise barren pages, giving distinct personalities to the dual narrators while also underscoring the deep grief their communities are experiencing. Quigley (of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe) walks a delicate line between terrible sorrow and tentative hope; the emphasis on art as a healing tool does not overlook the tragedy of Auntie's disappearance, and discussion of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women underscores the sad reality of the kids' experience as somewhat commonplace. Both Ariel and Tomah are deeply sympathetic, and readers will be glad to see them on a path to healing. An author's note, Ojibwe glossary, and information on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and jingle dancing are included. Copyright © 2024 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois