January 2026: Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults

 

Title: Braiding Sweetgrass: Young Adults

Author: Robin Wall Kimmerer

Publisher: Zest Books

Genre: Botany/Non-Fiction/Indigenous

Pages: 304

Rating: 2/5 Stars

Summary: "As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer is trained to use the tools of science to ask questions of nature. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces plants and animals as our oldest teachers. Drawing from her experiences as an Indigenous scientist, Kimmerer demonstrated how when we listen to the languages of other beings―from strawberries and witch hazel to water lilies and lichen―we are capable of understanding the generosity of the earth and learn to give our own gifts in return in her best-selling book Braiding Sweetgrass.

Adapted for young adults by Monique Gray Smith, this new edition reinforces how wider ecological understanding stems from listening to the earth’s oldest teachers: the plants around us. With informative sidebars, reflection questions, and art from illustrator Nicole Neidhardt, Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults highlights how acknowledging and celebrating our reciprocal relationship with the earth results in a wider, more complete understanding of our place and purpose."

Just as the adult version, this book was a slog. It was hard for me to keep my attention. It took me months to finish. There are good lessons, but at times to writing is overly academic and scientific. 

 

Memorable Quotes/Morals/Moments:  

• Sometimes too on the nose with indigenous beliefs..at times veering into cliches
• Reciprocity
• The three sisters: Knowing what role you play and what unique gifts you bring to the table.
• Gratitude
• Sweetgrass appreciating being harvested
• Windego Story
• Mayan Creation Story
• "The Honorable Harvest is as much about relationships as it is about materials"
• Power of trees and the Cedar
• "It is the Windego way that tricks us into believing that belongings will fill our hunger when belonging is what we crave"

• Here are the core harvesting rules:

1. Ask permission
   Before taking anything from nature, pause and ask—silently or aloud. This shows respect and reminds you that plants are living beings, not objects.

2. Never take the first one you see
   The first plant is a gift for someone else (or for the ecosystem). Taking it could mean taking the only one.

3. Take only what you need
   Don’t be greedy. Harvest enough to meet your needs, not your wants.

4. Leave plenty behind
   Always make sure there’s enough for:

   • Other people

   • Animals

   • The plant to continue growing

5. Choose carefully
   Take from places where the plant is abundant and healthy. Avoid harming rare or struggling plants.

6. Harvest in a way that helps the plant
   Some traditional harvesting (like braiding sweetgrass) actually encourages the plant to grow back stronger.

7. Use everything you take
   Wasting what you harvest is disrespectful. Take responsibility for what you remove.

8. Say thank you
   Gratitude is essential. It reinforces the idea that harvesting is a relationship, not a transaction.

• Goldenrods and asters bloom together

• They help each other, not compete

  Kimmerer explains that goldenrods (yellow) and asters (purple) often grow and bloom side by side in late summer and early fall. To the human eye, it looks like a beautiful color pairing—but ecologically, it’s much more than that.

  • Both plants rely on pollinators like bees.

  • Bees can’t see the color yellow very well, but they can see purple.

  • When asters bloom next to goldenrods, the purple asters attract the bees, and once the bees arrive, they also visit the goldenrods.

• The Mayan Creation Story
• Mud, Wood, and Light People: The Corn People inherited the earth because they were produced out of relationship using light, mud, and plant. 
• The Windego
• The scary monster that represents over consumption. How are the Windego's footprints present in my life?
• Shopping, Excess, Spending Too Much, Waste

Links: 

Started/Finished: Start November 2025  Finish Jan 1, 2026