The Range Eternal is a children’s book that centers around a blue enamel woodstove—the heart of a childhood home in the Turtle Mountains. The book follows a young Native American girl who is comforted by the warmth of the stove, lovingly dubbed, “The Range Eternal” for the inscription on the stove’s doors.
The book teleports readers to the past with lyrical language and vibrant details. Readers will feel the warmth of fresh baked potatoes in their pockets on snowy walks to school and the chill of the monster Windigo, creeping close at night. The story follows the protagonist as her community shifts toward electricity and into adulthood, when she begins to long for the center and warmth of the Range Eternal and attempts to recapture it for her own family.
Louise Erdrich based the book off a stove that was a feature of warmth at her grandparents’ home on the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota. The comfort and nostalgia of her memories are masterfully shared through this book as she successfully recaptures the glow of the Range Eternal in story. The Range Eternal is beautifully illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher with images of life on the Turtle Mountains range and buffalo that used to roam the land. —Kayla Lutes