Author Event: “How the Birds Got Their Songs” with Travis Zimmerman

Join author Travis Zimmerman as he premieres his children’s book, How the Birds Got Their Songs, featuring illustrations by his cousin, artist Sam Zimmerman / Zhaawanoogiizhik, at the Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul.

This treasured story describes how the Great Spirit awarded each bird, “from the littlest of birds like the sparrows, thrushes, and chickadees, to the biggest and most powerful birds like the ravens, hawks, and the mighty eagle,” their song. The higher they flew, the prettier the song.

If you’ve ever wondered why the loveliest birdsong is heard only in the deepest woods, How the Birds Got Their Songs provides an answer, even as it celebrates the uniqueness of every bird species. Handed down through generations of Zimmerman’s family, this narrative is presented in both English and Ojibwemowin, and commemorates traditional knowledge from the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.