Forever Our Home

Submitted by madeleinepundyk on
Author
Tonya Simpson
Illustrated by
Carla Joseph
Victoria, BC: Orca, 2023
32 pp., hardcover, pdf & epub, $21.95 (hc.)
ISBN
9781459835634 (hc.)
9781459835641 (pdf)
9781459835658 (epub)
Grades
Preschool-kindergarten
Ages
Ages 3-5
Review by
Review by David Ward
Excerpt

Coyotes sing an ancient winter tune.
Snow blankets the land neath a silver moon.
The morning is so happy that you are here.
Its colors are a gift to you my dear.

Tiger lilies, deer, hawks, foxes, fireweed, horses and tamaracks, chickadees, frogs and bees; there are many creatures and living things displayed in this calm, visually alive text from Tonya Simpson with images from Carla Joseph. The prose is lyrical and inviting; Where bees buzz in the poplar fuzz, and connect well with the illustrations. There are indigenous tones woven through the whole book, both in the images and in the words; this is where your spirit can feel your ancestors as they pass by, and indeed, both author and illustrator weave their ancestry into the story. I particularly enjoyed the sense of family as parents, siblings, and grandparents drift in and out of the pages – all surrounding a small child in ways that are both comforting and mentoring.

Forever Our Home will be a wonderful read-aloud or shared story with children aged 3-5.

Recommended
Reviewer

David Ward is a children’s author who lives in British Columbia.