In Wôpanâak Seasons: Seeqan, Neepun, Keepun, Pup8n, a young Wampanoag child takes readers on a seasonal journey through Aquinnah, on Neope, known as Martha’s Vineyard. Spring brings the return of wildlife; summer brings beach adventures and clambakes; fall is for harvesting and making jams; and winter features cozy gatherings and heartfelt traditions. Each season showcases the rich cultural heritage of the Wampanoag people. With striking illustrations and lyrical prose, this book is about an appreciation of the land and the joy of coming together with family and community all year round.

About the Author:

CARRIE ANNE VANDERHOOP is from a lineage of Hai weavers—the daughter of Evelyn Vanderhoop and the granddaughter of Delores Churchill from the Gawa Git’ans Massett Inlet Eagle Clan of Old Massett. Her father, David Vanderhoop, is Aquinnah Wampanoag from Neope, commonly known as Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, where she grew up. She now lives on Haida Gwaii. As an educator, Carrie Anne hopes this book will foster in young people a connection with our natural world—the forests, the ocean and the seashore—and respect for the original stewards of the land, the first peoples of Turtle Island.

About the Illustrator:

MANGESHIG PAWIS-STECKLEY is an Anishinaabe artist and a member of the Wasauksing First Nation. He has illustrated numerous children’s books, including Boozhoo!/ Hello! and The Trickster Shadow. His work has garnered many honors, such as the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award, the Indigenous Voices Award, and the Blue Spruce Award. Mangeshig currently resides on the unceded lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples in Vancouver, BC.

Praise for Wôpanâak Seasons: Seeqan, Neepun, Keepun, Pup8n:

“Wôpanâak Seasons” by Carrie Anne Vanderhoop and Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley “With lovely, striking images and a warm, exultant child’s voice Carrie Anne Vanderhoop and Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley take readers to another imaginative world.” – The British Columbia Review, May 2025