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PS
Translated by Alan Corbiere.
Illustrated by
Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley.
A child and their grownup experience the seasons together in this bilingual (Anishinaabemowin and English) picture book. The text follows a question-and-answer pattern. Each query rests on a double-page spread with loads of white space and a visual clue signaling the response to come. In the first spread, for example, a zoomed-in image of three blueberries rests on the verso page, while the following text appears on the recto: "Aaniish ezhi-gkendmaanh niibing? / How do I know summer is here?" The responses to each question include visceral, sensory-rich descriptions of how each season is experienced through the characters' observations and absorption into the natural world ("Pii pinion gaa-giizhiwaabidegin mgising / gzhaawngideg gewe negwiki." / "When blueberries drop readily, / and the sand is hot enough to sting"). Throughout, the gray-haired character is shown taking care of the child by preparing food, mending footwear, and more. The digital art, with its jewel tones and thick black outlines, at times resembles stained glass. Other spreads feature shadows and gradients beautifully depicting the aurora borealis, sunsets over water, and calming rays of winter sunshine streaming through a bedroom window. A warmhearted depiction of the seasons and intergenerational closeness.
Reviewer: Elisa Gall
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2021
32 pp.
| Fifth House
| March, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-1-92708-311-6$18.95
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K-3
Illustrated by
François Thisdale.
After Uncle scares cousins Tom and Will with the story of the Windigo (known to Anishinaabe peoples as the night spirit of winter), they follow what they think are its tracks; instead they find a young moose trapped in the snow and help to free it. Subdued-color art with hidden animal tracks evokes the dark, north-country winter setting in this not-too-scary Anishinaabe tale of respect for nature.
32 pp.
| Second Story
| September, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-1-927583-94-4$18.95
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K-3
Illustrated by
Gillian Newland.
The author shares a story based on her grandmother Irene's experience in an Indian residential school in Ontario, Canada. Taken away from her family, Irene suffers emotional trauma and abuse at the hands of Christian missionaries. Featuring powerful watercolor and ink illustrations, a straightforwardly told first-person narrative of resistance and strength. Author's note included.
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K-3
As explained in the author's note, Anishinaabe people believe in totem animals, clans that exemplify certain traits. Daniel, who is Métis, created this small, unusual book to teach her son about his culture and to encourage others to learn about their own clans. Soft acrylic paintings showing children in stylized animal masks appear opposite four-line poems focusing on each totem's character traits.