NOKUM IS MY TEACHER

A fully credentialed author and illustrator present a poetic First People text in English and Cree. Early primary readers/listeners will find the text confusing, and the paintings, magnificent as they are, give a somewhat conflicting view of the time setting—sleds and wagons pulled by horses, buffalo hunting scenes and tipis; modern-day overcoats and hats, shirts and ties within a more contemporary structure. A boy asks his grandmother to respond to his queries about fitting “into their world” and the role of reading in his life. She is content to “watch [him] learn to see.” The two-track CD that accompanies the book has a mature-sounding male and female reading the book’s text, in each language. The Cree reading includes authentic musical productions by Steven Wood and Northern Cree. The CD is an inspired addition and may be enough to redeem this otherwise marginal purchase. (Picture book. 8-10)