The highlights of Carol Powder’s life were fun to read about, however, the artwork was a bit “cartoonish” for my personal tastes. I do like the colors and the details are well done; giving you the story and complimenting the text, however, they just didn’t “do it” for me personally. I can see how they would be the favorite part of everything for other readers. Despite any issues I have, I recommend The Heartbeat Drum: The Story of Carol Powder, Cree Drummer and Activist (A Picture Book) by Deidre Havrelock and illustrated by Aphelandra. It is due early September 2024; and was read as an online reader. 
To tell you anything about the story is to really tell you the whole thing. But I will say the story flows chronologically, following Powder’s life from a young child with her beloved grandfather, to her as an adult with her own grandchildren. Havrelock shows how what was once a proud tradition for the women of Powder’s people, has lost some of that status and has become a male only event. But Powder knows the history and is willing to fight to bring that past to the present. I like that this is a person I had never heard about and it was mostly about a positive piece of the culture she is from.
We follow the ideas of Indigenous traditions, finding your voice, and speaking out as well as learning about a person who is in the middle of things. This allows the book to work on multiple levels: as a women’s history book, a native peoples book and North American history. 