Review by Horn Book Review
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. Elisa Gall July/August 2021 p.88(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
An Anishinaabe grandmother teaches her grandchild that by close observation, the natural world of plants, insects, animals, and birds will reveal how to know when seasons change from one to the next. Written in English and translated into Anishinaabemowin by the Corbieres, an Anishinaabe father and son pair, the story begins with the question, "Aaniish ezhi-gkedmaanh niibing? / How do I know summer is here?" This question is repeated for fall, winter, and spring, the Anishinaabemowin always preceding the English on the page. The grandchild learns how to recognize nature's signs of the changing seasons by watching and paying attention. With easily understood explanations, the elder shows how nature accommodates plants and animals, birds and insects. "When yellow Bumblebee collects purple fireweed…blueberries drop readily, [and] the sun slips into an orange dream," summer is here. The arrival of fall is signaled "when Mallard feasts on yellow corn, and Black Bear licks the ant pile clean"; winter is on its way when "gray Mouse sneaks inside for warmth"; and spring is heralded by "brown Peeper sing[ing], 'Goodnight, little one.' " Luby draws on her Anishinaabe heritage and time as a child with elders as inspiration for this gentle intergenerational tale set in the present day. Ojibwe Woodland artist Pawis-Steckley renders the scenes with bold outlines and jewel colors, many figures gently styled with traditional designs. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.5-by-19.5-inch double-page spreads viewed at 50.7% of actual size.) In this lyrical, bilingual story, a grandmother's knowledge reveals wonders. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
