REVIEWS
Tis is the story of the Ojibwe horses, told as a storyteller would describe the daily dis- cussions between Noozhis (grandson) and Mishoomis (grandfather). Together they feed and care for a pregnant mare in the days leading up to the birth of her foal. It’s the kind of story that draws you into the boy’s excitement; the beautiful images connect us to the stories that Mishoomis tells. Every morning Noozhis
asks, “Is it
WIIJIBIBAMATOON ANANGOONAN/ RUNS WITH THE STARS By Darcy Whitecrow and Heather M. O’Connor Illustrated by Lenny Lishchenko Translated by Kelvin Morrison Second Story Press, 2022 32 pages, $19.95 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Reviewed by JoAnne Formanek Gustafson
time, Mishoomis?” Grandfather’s answer is typically “Not today, but soon.” Trough these days of waiting, Mishoomis shares the story of the horses. Although the boy has heard them, they both enjoy the retelling. Mishoomis tells his grandson how these small strong horses “helped our people travel, haul wood and go trapping.” He tells Noozhis that when snow machines became more accessible, many people switched to the new technology, noting, “you feed a snow machine only when you use it.” You didn’t have to care for horses if you got snow machines. Over time there were more snow machines and fewer horses. Tis story is from Negwaakwaani-
zaaga’igan (Lac La Croix First Nation) locat- ed along the Ontario/Minnesota border in Treaty 3 territory. With the introduction of
Morris is a young boy with a gentle soul and a wonderful imagination. He likes puzzles, pancakes and painting, but he loves play- ing dress up at school. His favourite item to wear is a tangerine-orange dress, because it is the same colour as his mother’s hair and it makes pleasant sounds as he swishes around the classroom. Te other students don’t understand why
MORRIS MICKLEWHITE AND THE TANGERINE DRESS By Christine Baldacchino Illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant Groundwood Books, 2014 32 pages, $17.99 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Reviewed by Jessica Colafranceschi
46 ETFO VOICE | FALL 2024
a boy would want to wear a dress or nail pol- ish. Some girls try to take away the dress and some boys won’t include Morris in their game. “Astronauts don’t wear dresses,” they tell him. Te teasing he receives gives him a tummy ache that keeps him home from school one day, but with a little time to think and dream, Morris finds a way to relate to his schoolmates and show them that boys can wear dresses if they like. Morris goes back to school with a painting
of his dream of elephants and tigers in space so the boys are interested in playing astro- nauts with him. He tells the girls he is playing with the tangerine dress, and they can have a turn when he is finished. With a few simple
snowmobiles, the population of the Ojibwe horses dwindled to four mares and then they seemingly vanished. But the horses had been moved to a remote place where the popula- tion was slowly rebuilt. Tere are currently approximately 175 horses known to exist. Te book is available in dual Anishi-
naabemowin-English or English-only ver- sions. Besides being a beautiful story focused on a relationship between a boy and his grandfather, this book would be at home in an Intermediate Anishinaabe language class for reading and modelling grammar. Te Anishinaabemowin/English text would be great as a read-aloud in the classroom as well as in a classroom library to encourage learn- ers to seek more stories told by Indigenous storytellers and authors. Wiijibibamatoon Anangoonan/Runs with
the Stars would be a great resource to stim- ulate a variety of questions and discussions on topics such as stewardship, relationship, responsibility, impacts of technology and loss of traditional practices. If you don’t feel equipped to do this, check with your school board’s Indigenous education department to see if they have resources to support you.
JoAnne Formanek Gustafson is a member of Rainy River Occasional Teacher Local
actions, Morris quietly and independently teaches his classmates that boys can wear dresses and there is nothing wrong with that! Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine
Dress is a great choice for Primary students. Te soſt images emphasize the shades of or- ange throughout the book and the language is simple and clear. Older students will ap- preciate literary devices such as the allit- eration found in the family names (Mor- ris’ mother is named Moira and their cat is called Moo) and the onomatopoeia of the dress’ crinkling and swishing and the click- ing of high-heeled shoes. Tis story would be a perfect addition to
a Grade 1 social studies lesson about differ- ent kinds of families and changing roles and responsibilities and would open the door to discussing identity and sense of self. All stu- dents will understand feeling different from their peers and worrying about being leſt out, and this is a great story about representation and acceptance.
Jessica Colafranceschi is a member of the Peel Teacher Local.
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