Elizabeth LaPensée

In some ways, this is a really niche book, but when the niche is nonbinary Indigenous kids and excellent bilingual Anishinaabe storytelling, it's quite an important and often overlooked contribution. What I loved about this is that as a white person, I found the storytelling accessible and engaging, and I loved the gradual mashup with Alice in Wonderland. I also loved that this book is so clearly not for me and from an outside perspective looks like it is doing a wonderful job being a great show more book for Anishinaabe-speaking middle schoolers -- because I don't know the stories of the Paayehnsag, and I can tell that someone who does will probably enjoy this even more than I did.

There's some heavy stuff going on (bullying). There's a safe place for students to connect with their heritage (a field trip). There's a fantastical story that has elements of both traditional stories and pop culture. The pacing is good. The illustrations are great. I'm so glad to see this, and I think it's very well done. I hope to see more from this author in the future.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss. show less

This graphic novel mixes Anishinaabe culture with Alice in Wonderland imagery, and is a fun way to get a look into a different set of spirits than I've encountered before. (I've come across Nanaboozhoo in other stories, but none of the other spirits.) The art was lovely and well-suited to a middle grade audience. The story focuses mostly on the conflict between white and Anishinaabe cultures, but there is also a nice secondary thread discussing Aimée's non-binary identity and the show more difficulties they've faced with getting acceptance in school.

I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a quick immersion into Anishinaabe culture, whether or not it's a culture you belong to. It was also refreshing to me to see so many words in Anishinaabemowin, and though I could get some words through context or because of repetition, I did need to make frequent use of the list of terms at the start of the book. show less

Even though I am not of The People and have not learned the stories and the important names, I loved this book! It is a graphic novel admirably illustrated by KC Oster and tells the story of a student who feels like a misfit in gender and other ways. They go on a field trip and meets a very unusual mind-reading rabbit. And that's just for starters! Much is learned by the student who is a person rather like many of that age group regardless of ethnicity. I wish that I could pronounce the show more names of the entities, but I still loved this book!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Annick Press via NetGalley. Thank you! show less

Illustrations expand the understanding of the 9 short stories and poems presented here. With 8 different illustrators, there is a wide variety of styles; I'll admit my favorite illustrator was Elizabeth LaPensee.
The stories mostly depict modern experience of Native Americans, and can be pretty raw (e.g. "Trickster Reflections") but also use humor ("Ice Tricksters") or a twist on familiar memes ("Werewolves on the Moon", "An Athabasca Story"). Despite the inherent sadness in "Mermaids", there show more is also a teaching and a commitment to responsibility/connection.
I'm guessing this is a book written and illustrated by Indigenous for themselves and their own community; there is little of explanatory information to help white readers understand some of the subtext or cultural references (especially "Just Another Naming Ceremony"). I'm not stating that as a lack, just saying that some readers might need to put a little more effort into a full appreciation. show less