Londoner illustrates new children's book about Indigenous water activist

When Autumn Peltier was 12 years old, she made headlines for speaking out about the lack of clean water in Indigenous communities. Since then, she's become a world-renowned water rights advocate.

Her inspiring story is now being told in a new children's book,Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior,written byNew York Times-bestselling author Carole Lindstrom, with hopes of inspiring young readers to join in the movement for change.

One of Autumn's greatest inspirations was her aunt, environmentalactivist Josephine Mandamin, who has walked the shorelines of all five Great Lakes.

Londoner Bridget George brought their story to life on the book's pages through her illustrations. Raised on Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, George is a children's illustrator and author ofIt's a Mitig!.

CBC's Colin Butler spoke with Bridget George on Afternoon Drive.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Colin Butler: Tell us what this book is all about.

Bridget George: It is about Autumn Peltier, who is a 19-year-old water activist from Wiikwemkoong First Nation here in Ontario. She is the chief water commissioner for the Anishinabek Nation. She advocates for the universal right to clean drinking water globally, but especially here in Canada for First Nations. She's just an amazing youth activist and I really think that she's the kind of person whose story deserves to be amplified.

CB: She traces her bloodline from a pretty famous person when it comes to protecting water in this country, her great aunt Josephine, who was a water walker. What did she learn from her?

BG: Autumn is quoted as saying that all of her early water education came from her aunt Josephine Mandamin. Actually, before Autumn was the chief water commissioner for the Anishinabek Nation, the person who held it before her was her aunt. So basically, the foundation of her water advocacy came from her aunt.

CB: What does Autumn's advocacy work have to teach others?

BG: I think the big one for me, especially as the mother of a young one, is that I think more often than not kids are made to feel like their voices are really small and quiet and not as important as grown-ups. Autumn really advocates for youth voices mattering just as much as grown-ups. If anything, she really teaches the importance of them mattering the most, because they're the ones who are going to inherit the world that we leave behind. So she really, really advocates for youth to stand up and use their voices, the things that matter to them.

CB: How did this all influence the art that finally became the images in this book?

BG: I grew up in Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, a community on the shore of Lake Huron, just like Autumn grew up on the shore of Lake Huron. I really wanted to make sure that I infused the water teachings that I have into the art as well. So you'll notice things throughout the book like vines moving through the water. I thought that was a really good way to visualize the idea of water being a living thing. So when you think about plants and trees and animals, it's really easy to see those as living.

But if you haven't grown up with those teachings of water being a living being, it can be kind of hard to conceptualize that. So that was my way of trying to do that visually. So there's a lot of little things in the art that I tried to bring in from our culture as well.

CB: Why children's literature to share indigenous knowledge and culture? What inspired you to embark on that path?

BG: I always tell people that I feel like my perspective on the world completely shifted when I became a parent. I really wanted to make sure that my son had our culture at hand, and what better way to introduce that to him than children's books? It's also a really great way for me to connect with my inner child as well. I feel really lucky to be able to do what I do.

CB: What do you hope people take away from this book?

BG: If anything, I really hope that the kids that pick it up and read it are empowered to stand up and use their voices, knowing that their voices matter, and they can make a difference just like Autumn.

LISTEN | Anishinaabe illustrator helps tell the story of Autumn Peltier in a new book: