Brittany Luby and Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley have created a storybook about the seasons. Alvin Ted Corbiere and Alan Corbiere (both Anishinaabe) contribute the Anishinaabemowin translation of the story. This book is an invitation to place-based learning throughout the seasons: learning how the local environment changes through the seasons, as well as learning the names, characteristics, and uses of local plants. It would be meaningful to learn which plants are native to the area, along with their traditional names, and which plants were brought in from other areas. This activity could be turned into an informal longitudinal study of the local area by recording the class’s observations and comparing them through the years: Is there snow every winter? How much and how long does it last?

44 pp., 8.5 × 8.75", colour illustrations

Brittany Luby (Anishinaabe) • Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (Ojibwe, Wasauksing First Nation), illus.

Source: Association of Book Publishers of BC - Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools (2021-2022)

 

BRITTANY LUBY (Anishinaabe-kwe, atik totem) est l’une des nombreuses arrière-petites-filles du chef Kawitaskung, un chef Anishinaabe qui a signé le Traité de l’angle nord-ouest en 1873. D’un coup de crayon, Kawitaskung a accepté de partager des parties de ce qui représente aujourd’hui le Nord-Ouest de l’Ontario avec des colons et leurs descendants. Grâce à ses grands-pères exceptionnels, Brittany croit au pouvoir de l’encre et des mots, c’est pourquoi elle écrit en faveur de la justice sociale. Elle est aussi professeure d’histoire à l’Université de Guelph, spécialisée dans l’histoire de l’Amérique du Nord.

 

BRITTANY LUBY (Anishinaabe-kwe, atik totem) is the many-greats granddaughter of Chief Kawitaskung, an Anishinaabe leader who signed the North-West Angle Treaty of 1873. With a pen stroke, Kawitaskung agreed to share parts of what is now Northwestern Ontario with settlers and their descendants. Because of her many-greats grandfather, Brittany believes that ink is a powerful tool. The words we write lay the foundation for our future. Brittany writes for social justice. She is also a history professor at the University of Guelph, specializing in Indigenous history in North America.

 

Brittany Luby's profile page

MANGESHIG PAWIS-STECKLEY is an Anishinaabe illustrator and a member of Wasauksing First Nation. He illustrated the award-winning picture book Mii maanda ezhi-gkendmaanh / This Is How I Know and Mnoomin maan'gowing / The Gift of Mnoomin, both by Brittany Luby, and is the author and illustrator of Boozhoo! / Hello! He lives in the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples (Vancouver) with his wife Maria and daughter Mino.

Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley's profile page

ALVIN TED CORBIERE and ALAN CORBIERE, father and son, are Anishinaabe from M'Chigeeng First Nation. Alvin's first language is Anishinaabemowin, aka Ojibwe, and Alan is learning it as a second language. They collaborate to produce curricular materials in Anishinaabemowin for learners of all ages. Alan Corbiere is an assistant professor of Indigenous history at York University in Toronto.

Alvin Ted Corbiere's profile page

ALVIN TED CORBIERE and ALAN CORBIERE, father and son, are Anishinaabe from M'Chigeeng First Nation. Alvin's first language is Anishinaabemowin, aka Ojibwe, and Alan is learning it as a second language. They collaborate to produce curricular materials in Anishinaabemowin for learners of all ages. Alan Corbiere is an assistant professor of Indigenous history at York University in Toronto.

Alan Corbiere's profile page

• Winner, Indigenous Voices Award
• Winner, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award
• Commended, CCBC Choices
• Commended, Cooperative Children’s Book Center Book of the Week
• Short-listed, Governor General's Literary Award, Young People's Literature — Illustrated Books

Highly recommended for home, school and public libraries as a lovely story, but also as an introduction to Indigenous worldview and the Anishinaabemowin language.

Canadian Children’s Book News

Luby subtly shows that asking how a child knows a season has changed … creates a more personalized, meaningful learning experience. STARRED REVIEW

Quill & Quire

In this lyrical, bilingual story, a grandmother’s knowledge reveals wonders.

Kirkus Reviews

[H]ighly recommended for being a simple and charming tool to teach and learn about various forms of Indigenous knowledge: language, artwork, and traditional ways of learning and knowing.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

[D]istinct, clean lines and appealing use of colour.

Postmedia

The story reveals the love they have for nature and for each other.

Calgary Herald

[A] triumph of art, literal and graphic.

CanLit for Little Canadians Blog

Brittany Luby’s (Anishinaabe) exceptional text is perfectly complemented by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley’s (Ojibwe) gorgeous art.

Cooperative Children’s Book Center

A warmhearted depiction of the seasons and intergenerational closeness.

Horn Book

[B]oth a celebration of the seasons and a close look at the natural world.

Globe & Mail

Aimed at younger readers but a pleasant read for anyone.

Windspeaker

A powerful story that models how to build love and respect for the land and environment.

Toronto Star

Inviting readers into a beloved locale, this book is recommended for all picture book collections, especially those seeking more titles highlighting Indigenous people, their languages, and their artwork. STARRED REVIEW

School Library Journal