Free to Fly – Native News Online

In a quiet treehouse overlooking the sea, a grandfather and grandchild sit together as gulls circle overhead and waves roll in below. From this intimate perch, a story unfolds—one about dreams, determination, and the enduring strength of Native families. That tender exchange forms the heart of a new picture book by Karina Iceberg and illustrated by Steph Littlebird, a luminous collaboration that centers Native resilience through intergenerational love.

As Apaa begins to speak, readers are carried back to his childhood—a time when holding onto dreams required courage. He shares memories of attending a boarding school, where colonizers attempted to erase the tribal identities of children.

Yet even in moments of uncertainty, he explains, he never let those dreams slip away. What sustained him was the belief that something beautiful awaited in the years to come. He imagined laughter echoing in the trees. He imagined sharing stories passed down through generations. Most of all, he imagined a grandchild—someone who would carry forward not only family history, but strength and possibility. Apaa’s “most precious dream” was never fame or fortune; it was continuity. It was love extended forward in time.

Iceberg’s storytelling is lyrical and accessible, balancing emotional depth with clarity for young readers. The conversation between grandparent and grandchild unfolds naturally, allowing big themes—identity, perseverance, belonging—to emerge gently. The book does not dwell solely on hardship. Instead, it frames resilience as an act of hope, a daily commitment to imagining a better future and working toward it.

Littlebird’s sweeping seascapes, textured skies, and intimate character moments ground the story in coastal homelands while emphasizing a sense of openness and possibility. The ocean becomes a quiet metaphor for generational continuity—its tides moving backward and forward, just as memory and hope do. The treehouse, perched above it all, symbolizes perspective: a place where stories are shared and new dreams take shape.

Importantly, the book offers Indigenous children the opportunity to see themselves reflected in a narrative of strength and tenderness. At the same time, it invites all readers into a universal experience—the bond between grandparent and grandchild, and the understanding that we are shaped by the dreams of those who came before us.

In this heartfelt picture book, hope quite literally takes flight. Through spare prose and radiant artwork, Iceberg and Littlebird have created a celebration of Native resilience that soars across generations—past, present, and those still to come.

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