Across the Ice: How We Saved the Ojibwe Horse

Darcy Whitecrow, Heather M O'Connor

Book cover for Across the Ice: How We Saved the Ojibwe Horse
Book cover for Across the Ice: How We Saved the Ojibwe Horse

Across the Ice: How We Saved the Ojibwe Horse

Across the Ice: How We Saved the Ojibwe Horse

Darcy Whitecrow, Heather M O'Connor

Member Benefits

  • 30% Off All Books - Savings that support storytellers, not stock prices.
  • Fight Book Bans - Every membership sends a book to LGBTQ+ youth in affected states.
Member Book Price
$18.99 $13.29
Non-Member Book Price $18.99

An annual membership will be billed at $48/year.

Discount applies to first-time members only. Already a member? Log in here.
View full details

Description
"Across the Ice tells this little-known story through the gentle voice of Nookomis, along with glowing illustrations in a vibrant palette and clean, crisp lines...This gorgeous book is a must-read in ELA and social-studies classes." --Booklist (starred review)

Discover the history of the endangered Ojibwe horse and the daring intervention of the Lac La Croix First Nation in this celebration of community, tradition, courage, and hope.

It's a cold, snowy night at Lac La Croix First Nation, and two siblings are too excited to fall asleep. The horses are coming tonight! Amid the buzz of aunties and uncles and cousins, Nookomis tells a story that began many years ago, when their people shared the land with herds of wild ponies. In a symbiotic relationship, the people provided the horses with food and shelter, while the horses helped them run traplines and travel. But after many years had passed, and the herd had dwindled to four, the government threatened to shoot them. It was time to move the remaining horses to safety--but getting them there would be harder than they thought! Follow the true story of a "heist across the ice" from Ontario to Minnesota and learn how a small herd of hardy, indigenous horses returned years later to their native land. Rich illustrations honor the life of the Ojibwe people over time, as well as the land and living things that have survived under their stewardship.

About the Author

Darcy Whitecrow is Ojibwe and Dakota and a member of the Seine River First Nation band in Northwestern Ontario, where he lives. He practices traditional ways of trapping, fishing, and ricing, as well as spirituality in both the Midewiwin and Sundance traditions. He and his partner, Kim, started the nonprofit Grey Raven Ranch, where they have raised and cared for Ojibwe horses for the last decade to help preserve the breed and the tradition of symbiotic interaction with the Ojibwe people. Darcy Whitecrow and coauthor Heather M. O'Connor previously collaborated on the picture book Runs with the Stars.

Heather M. O'Connor is an award-winning children's author based in Peterborough, Ontario. Her picture book Fast Friends, illustrated by Claudia Dávila, was selected as the Canadian Children's Book Centre TD Grade One Book Giveaway title in 2022 and was the winner of the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award. It was followed up with Friends Find a Way! Her other books include the dual-language picture book Runs with the Stars / Wiijibibamatoon-Anangoonan, coauthored with Darcy Whitecrow and illustrated by Lenny Lishchenko, and the YA soccer novel Betting Game.

Natasha Donovan is a Métis illustrator who worked in academic and magazine publishing before focusing on comics and children's illustrations. She is the illustrator of the award-winning children's book series Mothers of Xsan and several other picture books and graphic novels, including I Was: The Stories of Animal Skulls by Katherine Hocker. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Natasha Donovan now lives in Deming, Washington.

Critical Reviews

An enthusiastic tale that glides along beautifully. Their prose is simple yet enchanting, each well-chosen word imbued with emotion, building anticipation and drawing readers in. . . . A deeply moving exploration of community and human-animal connection.
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Across the Ice tells this little-known story through the gentle voice of Nookomis, along with glowing illustrations in a vibrant palette and clean, crisp lines. This is a fictionalized story based on true events, and readers will be inspired to use the sources in the back matter to learn more.This gorgeous book is a must-read in ELA and social-studies classes.
--Booklist (starred review)

Lovingly illustrated. . . .
--School Library Journal

Publishing Information

Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
Pub date: 2025-09-16
Length: 32 pages

The Allstora Membership

Membership Perks:

  • Save 30% on all online store purchases
  • Exclusive access to author's content
  • You pay less, but authors still earn double

Membership Terms:

First Month: $0.00
Monthly price: $5.00
  • To access membership discount simply log in and add to cart, discount applied automatically.
  • One month free trial, cancel anytime. Membership renews on the 15th of each month.