Published by Greystone Kids

Summary:  A girl narrator tells of her move from the city to the country.  At first, she’s sad and misses all the people and things she’s left behind.  Her mother encourages her to visit their neighbor Agnes, and soon a friendship forms between the older woman and younger girl.  Both of them are artists–the girl loves drawing and Agnes makes things out of clay. As the seasons of the first year go by, Agnes gets sick and can’t get outside any more.  In the spring, a year after the move, the girl creates dozens of pictures of birds and hangs them in Agnes’s room to help her feel like she is outside. Walking home and, later, in bed, the girl thinks about her friend and how grateful she is for their friendship.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A quiet story celebrating intergenerational friendships and the passing of time in the natural world.  I don’t think Agnes dies at the end, but it’s not clear; either way, the story celebrates life and friendship. Julie Flett is Cree-Mêtis and deftly inserts some Cree words and imagery into the text.

Cons:  One review I read said there was a glossary of Cree words at the end of the book, but this was not the case with the book I saw.

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