Scan barcode
A review by laura_cs
Awâsis and the World-Famous Bannock by Dallas Hunt
5.0
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
As a conscientious book lover, one of the first things before requesting this title was to do a search regarding the author to ensure that this is an Own Voices title; it is not only Own Voices written, it is also Own Voices illustrated, and that is one of the top reasons I believe that this book would make a great addition to any collection, and I strongly encourage Canadian librarians to purchase this book for their libraries.
This is the story of a young child who is sent by her grandmother to deliver a basket of goodies to a relative; however, on her way there, due to her playfulness and enjoyment of being in the forest, she looses the bannock in the river. However, an array of forest friends are there to lend her ingredients to make her grandmother's world-famous bannock. But will she be able to make it on her own?
The book is written in Cree and English; while there are no direct translations within the texts regarding the English translation of the Cree words, there are many visual cues. For example, maskwa is the Cree word for 'bear', and it is used only adjacent to a page with the bear bringing an ingredient for bannock. The author makes a note in the translation and pronunciation guide in the back that this book is written as a fun way to revitalize the Cree language, designed perfectly for those who already know the Cree language and for those who are new to learning the language. In addition, the illustrations are beautifully done, and I hope to see more works as a partnership between Mr. Hunt and Ms. Strong in the future.
As a conscientious book lover, one of the first things before requesting this title was to do a search regarding the author to ensure that this is an Own Voices title; it is not only Own Voices written, it is also Own Voices illustrated, and that is one of the top reasons I believe that this book would make a great addition to any collection, and I strongly encourage Canadian librarians to purchase this book for their libraries.
This is the story of a young child who is sent by her grandmother to deliver a basket of goodies to a relative; however, on her way there, due to her playfulness and enjoyment of being in the forest, she looses the bannock in the river. However, an array of forest friends are there to lend her ingredients to make her grandmother's world-famous bannock. But will she be able to make it on her own?
The book is written in Cree and English; while there are no direct translations within the texts regarding the English translation of the Cree words, there are many visual cues. For example, maskwa is the Cree word for 'bear', and it is used only adjacent to a page with the bear bringing an ingredient for bannock. The author makes a note in the translation and pronunciation guide in the back that this book is written as a fun way to revitalize the Cree language, designed perfectly for those who already know the Cree language and for those who are new to learning the language. In addition, the illustrations are beautifully done, and I hope to see more works as a partnership between Mr. Hunt and Ms. Strong in the future.