{"id":5297,"date":"2021-03-07T00:01:21","date_gmt":"2021-03-07T06:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=5297"},"modified":"2021-03-07T09:23:21","modified_gmt":"2021-03-07T15:23:21","slug":"7-imps-7-kicks-733-featuringjoshua-mangeshig-pawis-steckley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=5297","title":{"rendered":"7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks #733: Featuring
Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Mii maanda ezhi-gkendmaanh \/ This Is How I Know<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (Groundwood, March 2021) is a book about the seasons \u2014 and a beautiful collaboration between author Brittany Luby<\/a><\/strong>, illustrator Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley<\/a><\/strong>, and translators Alvin Ted Corbiere and Alan Corbiere. The book is written in both Anishinaabemowin and English. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Luby is of Anishinaabe descent (and is also a history professor at the University of Guelph, specializing in Indigenous history in North America), and this book was inspired by childhood memories of time spent in the northern reaches of Anishinaabewaking near the Great Lakes. The illustrator, Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, is an Ojibwe woodland artist and a member of Wasauksing First Nation. <\/p>\n

This intergenerational story, told with a spare lyricism that flows like poetry, features a child and her grandmother. “Aaniish ezhi-gkendmaanh niibing? How do I know summer is here?” the book opens. The girl, exploring outdoors with her grandmother, takes in the natural world with all her senses, noting the changes that summer brings. When she spots Loon and a green Luna Moth; when she sees yellow Bumblebee and brown Screech Owl; and when blueberries “drop readily” \u2014 all of this, plus some, tells her that summer is here. We then see her and her grandmother exploring in fall, winter, and spring: They watch birds at the shore; collect mushrooms; whistle to Blue Jay; play with their dog; take in the calls of brown Peepers that sing, “Goodnight, little one”; and much more. <\/p>\n

Joshua’s illustrations feature emphatic black lines that outline the elements of each spread and a jewel-toned palette that showcases the natural world \u2014 and the pair’s reverence for it. The transition to each season is marked by spreads featuring only one small emblem of the sesason on the verso (a leaf, a pine cone, etc.) and two short lines of text on the recto, all laid out in generous white space. This is Joshua’s first picture book. <\/p>\n

And it’s lovely. If you teach, consider adding it to your collection of books about the seasons; students who aren\u2019t familiar with the language may be prompted to learn more about Anishinaabemowin after encountering it here in this tender story. <\/p>\n

Here are some spreads. (Please note that some of these colors are showing up on the computer a bit more saturated than they appear in the book.)
\n
 

\n<\/a>
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“Pii dooskaabid Maang wii-noondaagzid zaag’igning …
When Loon opens her red eyes to call across the water …”<\/em>
(Click spread to enlarge)<\/center>
\n
 

\n<\/a>
\n
“Mii maanda ezhi-gkendmaanh niibing.
This is how I know summer.”<\/em>
(Click spread to enlarge and read text in its entirety)<\/center>
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\n<\/a>
\n
“Pii noondaash mnik aan’kwadoon zhi’oomgag …
When white clouds form in fewer numbers …”<\/em>
(Click spread to enlarge)<\/center>
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\n<\/a>
\n
“Pii Gyaashk bskaabiid wii-bi-saswin’ked …
When yellow-billed Seagull comes home to roost …”<\/em>
(Click spread to enlarge)<\/center>
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\n<\/a>
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(Click cover to enlarge)<\/em><\/center>
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\nMII MAANDA EZHI-GKENDMAANH \/ THIS IS HOW I KNOW. Text copyright \u00a9 2021 by Brittany Luby. Illustrations copyright \u00a9 2021 by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley. Anishinaabemowin translation copyright \u00a9 2021 by Alvin Ted Corbiere and Alan Corbiere. Illustrations reproduced by permission of the publisher, Groundwood Books, Toronto.<\/em><\/p>\n

* * * Jules’s Kicks * * *<\/strong><\/font>
<\/center><\/p>\n

Note for any new readers: 7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. New kickers are always welcome.<\/p>\n

1)<\/strong><\/font> Walks. <\/p>\n

2)<\/strong><\/font> Sunshine. <\/p>\n

3)<\/strong><\/font> I got a voicemail on my cell (and the person even addresses me by name), telling me that I have been accepted to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. First day of school will be September 1. (I have no idea what house I’ll be in.) <\/p>\n

As prank calls go, that one was entertaining. <\/p>\n

4)<\/strong><\/font> My dear, sweet, brilliant oldest daughter will be 17 this week. SEVENTEEN. <\/p>\n

5)<\/strong><\/font> There will be cake. <\/p>\n

6)<\/strong><\/font> Catching my friend Phil Nel talk about Dr. Seuss and racism on CNN this week. <\/p>\n

7)<\/strong><\/font> Looking forward to this event<\/a><\/strong> on Tuesday. Come join us? <\/p>\n

What are YOUR<\/font><\/strong> kicks this week? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mii maanda ezhi-gkendmaanh \/ This Is How I Know (Groundwood, March 2021) is a book about the seasons \u2014 and a beautiful collaboration between author Brittany Luby, illustrator Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, and translators Alvin Ted Corbiere and Alan Corbiere. The book is written in both Anishinaabemowin and English.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-seven-good-things-before-monday","category-picture-books"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5297\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}