Illustrated Books
Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest
Gerald McDermott
San Diego: Voyager Books
2001 ISBN 978-0-15-265661-4
ISBN 978-0-15-202449-9 (pbk.)
32 pages
Author and illustrator Gerald McDermott retells a tale from the Pacific Northwest. He borrows aboriginal myths about the raven – this myth is how the shape-shifter raven cunningly finds and gives the gift of light to all human kind. It is a well-paced tale with suspense – how will raven get the light and when will the keepers of the light figure out that raven is trying to trick them.
He mixes art techniques to allow the raven to pop from the page. The backdrops are soft with greys and browns painted in gouache on watercolour paper. However, raven is crisply drawn in traditional Haida form. No soft colours for raven, he has bold colours of black, red, blue, and green. This trickster demands your attention on the page.
Themes: First Nations, art, math (geometry – shapes and making a cube net) and folklore
Grade level: primary grades
Yetsa's Sweater
Sylvia Olsen
Illustrated by Joan Larson
Winlaw, BC: Sono Nis Press
2006 ISBN 1-55039-155-0
40 pages
This lovely story is about a girl spending time with her grandmother. During her visit, the two of them prepare the wool to knit Cowichan sweaters. Together they work, grandmother passes knowledge down to granddaughter. The old adage – the process is more important than the product – is a theme that could be applied to this book.
Even though the book is classified as fiction, the author goes into great detail all the steps required to make the wool ready to knit. In part, this book celebrates craftsmanship and tradition of the Coast Salish. At the end of the book, the reader can find information about the history of the Cowichan sweaters. The author is non-aboriginal, however, she lives in Tsartlip First Nation and her children have a mixed heritage.
The illustrator, Joan Larson, uses pastels to create beautiful pieces of artwork. Colours of greens and blues are employed to create lush backdrops to the young character wearing her own Cowichan sweater in hues of brown and grey. The drawings are realistic, capturing the expressions of the characters. For example, the girl needs to clean the wool from sheep excrement – her face expresses exactly how she feels about performing this particularly gross task.
Themes: Cowichan sweaters, tradition, family, and social studies
Grade levels: Grades 3 to 5
Non-fiction
Joseph Brant: Leader and Protector
Joanne Stanbridge
Don Mills, ON: Pearson Education Canada
2005 ISBN 0-88750-601-1
16 pages (pbk.)
Joseph Brant is the Anglo name given to Thayendanegea. He was an incredible leader of the Six Nations people when the British and French were fighting for control of North America. This non-fiction text chronicles his endless work to preserve the rights of his people.
Poundmaker: Cree Leader
Joanne Stanbridge
Don Mills, ON: Pearson Education Canada
2005 ISBN 0-13-124444-2
16 pages (pbk.)
In the 1870s, Poundmaker was a peaceful Cree leader who lived near Battleford, Saskatchewan. He played a significant role for his community during a time of great change. Canada was a young country and treaties were signed and reserves established. This non-fiction text gives an account of the difficulties and broken promises faced by the aboriginal peoples. This text also shows the integrity of this leader and his selfless attempts to better the situation of his people.
Joseph Brant: Leader and Protector and Poundmaker: Cree Leader book design and layout:
Like all non-fiction texts, these books are set up with a table of contents, photos and paintings with captions, bold text of key words, glossary, and an index. The information is dense but nicely laid out. The font size is large and well spaced. Extra information is also bulleted or put into boxes.
Themes: First Nations, biographies, colonization, and social studies
Grade levels: intermediate
Young Adult Novel/Graphic Novel
Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography
Chester Brown Montreal: Drawn and Quarterly Publications
2004 ISBN 1-896597-63-7 (pbk.)
272 pages
This comic-strip biography retells the events leading up to the hanging of the controversial Métis leader Louis Riel. In this unique form, the reader learns of Riel’s life during four stages. The first part takes place when Canada purchases Rupert’s Land, the execution of Thomas Scott for his interference with the provisional government that was headed by Riel, and when Riel seeks refuge in the United States. The second part takes place in northern United States and his return to Canada. Ironically he was elected as Member of Parliament even though he had not received a pardon for Scott’s death. Riel’s mental illness is also introduced. Part three has the rebellion action. The Métis want livable land and arm themselves as a last resort. However, the Canadian troops won the battle and Riel gives himself up to the authorities. Finally in part four, Riel stands trial for treason, is given the sentence of death, and is hung.
This graphic novel also has a foreword and an epilogue as well as notes and bibliography sections. It is chockablock with information and proves that it was well researched. Chester Brown has created an innovative and entertaining way to read Canadian history. Each page has six black and white panels – all drawn and handwritten. Even though the pictures are only five by five centimetres in size, his drawings are detailed yet sharp and clean. Sometimes the text is wordy so it is a bit small to read easily. But, those situations are few and far between. The design is unified to the very end; he handwrites all text including the 40 odd pages of notes and bibliographies! Readers of all ages will enjoy this handsome book.
Themes: Métis history, biography, 1844-1885, and social studies
Grade level: intermediate and secondary
For something different: an allegory about colonization from Australia
Rabbits
John Marsden
Illustated by Shaun Tan
Sydney: Lothian Children’s Books
2003 ISBN 978-0-7344-1136-5
32 pages (pbk)
The storybook, Rabbits, is a poignant tale about colonization. The main events happen in this story as it has in lands all around the world: invasion, cultural misunderstandings, removal of natural resources, and horrible suppression of the original inhabitants. The book finishes on a bleak note – once colonized, there is no going back to what the natives had before contact.
The artist, Shaun Tan, creates surreal paintings with fine details. The reader will spend much more time on the images than the sparse yet powerful text. Unfortunately, this book would be hard to read to a class of children because you do need to be close to see and ponder over all the information painted on the page. This book would work well in small guided reading groups.
Themes: colonization
Grade level: intermediate
