The book described how a girl becoming, and how they could get everything they need from daily life.

Muskogee-Creek poet and musician Joy Harjo returns to the world of children's books with the lyrically-told, beautifully-illustrated For a Girl Becoming. An extended poem addressed to a young woman on the edge of transformation, of some unnamed rite of passage, it celebrates the day the girl's spirit came into the world, the day her family and friends "urgently gathered" to welcome her, bringing the gifts of both her mother's and father's houses. Adjuring her not to forget where she came from, or who she is, to be a human being to "grieve with the grieving, share joy with the joyful," someone who builds "a strong path with beautiful and truthful language," it concludes, like a benediction: "You are here to bless."

Harjo's beautiful poem affirms the love of family and community for the girl (and through her, the reader), assuring her that she will have guidance and support in her life journey, and gently reminding her of those things which are most vital to a well-rounded life. Mercedes McDonald's accompanying illustrations are simply gorgeous, with deep, vivid hues, and dreamlike composition. As Debra Frasier, author of On the Day You Were Born, notes in her comment on the back cover, For a Girl Becoming is truly a blessing! I wish I knew some young woman approaching a milestone in her life - a graduation, a first journey away from home - that I might give her a copy. I will certainly keep it in mind, for future use! ( )