The Littlest Drop by Sascha Alper & Jerry Pinkney; Art by Brian Pinkney (2025)

At the end of April, I went to Springfield for a day of meetings to urge our Illinois lawmakers to pass a public safety bill that is near and dear to our gun violence survivor’s hearts. My fellow Moms Demand Action friend, an art curator at Northwestern’s Block Museum, drove with me. During our long drive, she told me about the Block Museum’s current exhibit featuring indigenous art: Woven Being (Which I recently took my children and my nieces and nephew to...go check is out!) Then, as our conversation veered towards troubling current events, she shared an indigenous parable she recently heard. It’s the story of a hummingbird who encounters a wildfire in his home. All of the animals swiftly seek refuge from the fire by the riverbank, but the elephant soon notices the hummingbird dipping his beak in the river and flying off. How can the hummingbird think that a small drop of water will put out a massive fire? The hummingbird simply states, “I am doing what I can.” This mindset inspires the other animals to wonder what they can do – and soon thereafter they head towards the flames and take action, honing their individual strengths to weaken the wildfire. A week after my day of advocacy in Springfield, I came across the picture book, The Littlest Drop, in my public library. What synchronicity! Now, I can share this inspiring parable (and the stunning illustrations!) with my kids.

Heart: We all have moments of feeling small and helpless, but this story shows that our actions are important, because they inspire others to join us. I’ve been doing gun violence prevention advocacy since my eldest was just a baby. In that time, my home state of Illinois has gone from having the 7th strongest gun safety laws in the country to the 3rd strongest. I have witnessed the power of people joining together to advocate for safer, healthier, and stronger communities. This book is the perfect metaphor for that action. 

Head: Read the author’s note. Jerry Pinkney first heard this parable from Wangari Maathai. Much like the authors, I also admire Wangari Maathai’s environmental and human rights work in Kenya and beyond. If you are interested in a great Wangari picture book, check this or this out.