“Elders say they were always here. The horses were small, but strong.”
“Like me?”
“Like you.”

As they await the birth of a new foal, a man teaches his grandchild about the Ojibwe Horses that used to roam the forests of northwestern Ontario. The horses once ran wild and free, but when Grandfather was a boy, they almost disappeared. Now he is the caretaker of his own small herd, keeping the breed alive for future generations and teaching his grandchild about the loving bond between human and animals.

Darcy Whitecrow is Ojibwe and Dakota; he is a member of the Seine River First Nation band in Northwestern Ontario, where he lives. Darcy practices traditional lifestyles like trapping, fishing, and ricing, as well as traditional spirituality in both the Midewiwin and Sundance traditions. With his partner, Kim, they have started a non-profit, Grey Raven Ranch, where they have been raising and caring for the Ojibwe Horses for the last decade to help preserve the breed and the tradition of symbiotic interaction with the Ojibwe people.

Darcy Whitecrow's profile page

Heather M. O'Connor is an award-winning children's author and journalist based in Peterborough, Ontario. Her debut picture book Fast Friends (Scholastic Canada) won the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award, and was nominated for the Blue Spruce, Shining Willow, and IODE Jean Throop awards.

Heather's dual language picture book Runs with the Stars / WIIJIBIBAMATOON ANANGOONAN, coauthored with Darcy Whitecrow, tells the story of the Ojibwe Horse, the only Indigenous-bred horse in Canada.

She is also the author of YA soccer novel Betting Game and writes short stories, fantasy and historical fiction.

An enthusiastic speaker and teacher, Heather enjoys sharing her love of reading and writing with children, teens, and adults.

Heather M. O'Connor's profile page

Lenny Lishchenko is not a boy. She is an illustrator, graphic designer, and comic maker, who will never give up the chance to draw a good birch tree. Ukrainianborn and Canadian raised, she’s interested in telling stories that people remember years later, in the early mornings where everything is quiet and still. She’s worked with clients such as Lenny Letter, Power Athletics Ltd. Alberta Venture, and Rubicon Publishing, and is based out of Mississauga, Ontario.

Lenny Lishchenko's profile page

• Short-listed, The First Nation Communities READ Awards Children’s Category

“Debut author Whitecrow (Ojibwe and Dakota) and O’Connor (Fast Friends) weave a history of wild-roaming Ojibwe horses around western Lake Superior with the intergenerational story of an Ojibwe seven-year-old … In textural art, Lishchenko (In My Anaana’s Amautik) conjures images of the herds, the protagonists, and the interplay between nature and technology.”

Publishers Weekly

"Moving, meditative, and a great way to talk to children about the natural world, Runs with the Stars is a powerful addition to the picture book landscape."

Open Book

“Illustrated with celestial delight by Burlington based artist Lenny Lishchenko, whose graphic work frames the story with an earthy, almost animate backdrop. While Runs With the Stars can be read as a parable of ecological resilience, the driving force is the true story of the Ojibwe horse itself. And who better to tell the story than Whitecrow.”

The Walleye