The Story of the First Pawpsicle
by Ariel Ojibway | Illustrated by Stephanie Babij  | Picture Book  | Published 05-26-2025

Ariel Ojibway, a member of the Sault Ste. MarieTribe of Chippewa Indians, loves cooperative movements and human communities taking care of each other, the way our other-than-human family on Turtle Island takes care of us. She’s overly fond of books, hot cocoa, and puppies; she loves plants, libraries, and dance. She misplaces time easily. If she had her druthers, she’d always be by the water. Ariel wants to be part of telling stories to indigenize our children’s minds, and it makes her hopeful that the telling of the almost-silenced stories of stolen land, stolen people, and stolen histories is louder now than when she was young. She believes stories can lead our world to the right path

Stephanie Babij (she/her) is a mixed visual artist and muralist of Ojibwe and Ukrainian/white-settler heritage. Originally from Sudbury, Ontario, and a member of Wikwemikong First Nation, she now makes her home on Unceded Algonquin Territory(Ottawa). Stephanie grew up in urban spaces, where access to teachings, community, and the land were not readily available. In adulthood, she is making her way back to culture, community, and identity. Stephanie’s visual arts practice includes both solo and community-engaged murals, acrylic paintings, digital illustration, and wood-burned art. In her wor,k you’ll find elements of connections to the land, waters, animals, plants, cycles, and more