Singer/songwriter and activist Buffy Sainte-Marie has written a kids’ book championing animal rescue and pet adoption. Hey Little Rockabye: A Lullaby For Pet Adoption, with illustrations by Ben Hodson, will be published by Greystone Kids on May 12.
The story about a girl and her family considering pet adoption is expanded from a song Sainte-Marie created to welcome animals home. She will release the song simultaneously on Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, Amazon Music and Deezer. The book will include sheet music so that families can sing the story, which is aimed at children ages three to seven.
“No matter what kind of animal your little rockabye pet is,” says Sainte-Marie in a statement, “I hope my song will make you feel loving and cozy together and fill you both with special joy.”
Hey Little Rockabye will also feature photos of Sainte-Marie’s own rescues, which include cats, dogs, a horse, and over thirty goats.
Sainte-Marie memorably left her mark on children’s entertainment via Sesame Street in the late 70s when she became the first person to breastfeed on national television in the United States. In a Sesame Street segment, Sainte-Marie showed Big Bird how she nurses her son Cody.
One of the most visible and acclaimed Indigenous musicians since the 1960s, Sainte-Marie will be in Toronto this spring to receive the Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award during Canadian Music Week. She’s an Oscar, Golden Globe and Order of Canada recipient and has released nearly 20 albums.
@nowtoronto
