Overview
Translation and music by Northern Cree
Of course you have-you're in my dream.
You've danced in circles next to me
You now know things aren't as they seem.
Synopsis
Translation and music by Northern Cree
- Have you danced the round dance yet?
Of course you have-you're in my dream.
You've danced in circles next to me
You now know things aren't as they seem.
Beloved children's author David Bouchard has teamed up with emerging writer Shelly Willier to create a heart-warming tale in his newest book, The Drum Calls Softly. Discover the beauty of the traditional Round Dance through the lush descriptive verse of Bouchard and Willier that leads you through the cycles and seasons of life, the forming of new friendships and the understanding of values.
Illustrations by internationally acclaimed painter Jim Poitras colorfully grace the pages, bringing the words alive through the intricate movements of the Round Dancers.
And Northern Cree teams up once again with David Bouchard, providing the translation from English to Cree and the haunting drum music on a bound-in book CD.
Also available in French and in Cree, and accompanied by a CD.
Publishers Weekly
Resounding with themes of community and the cyclical rhythms of life, this lyrical tale by Bouchard (Nokum Is My Teacher) and debut author Willier pays tribute to the power of Cree traditions. The mostly rhyming verse (a Cree version runs with the English) is narrated by a youth who visits a First Nations gathering: "Have you danced the round dance yet?/ It's always been my favorite one./ My Moosum and my Kokum/ Let me dance it to the rising sun." Without notes or definitions for the smattering of Cree words, the presentation assumes some prior knowledge of Native cultures; readers will have to trust the rhythms of the writing and the strong imagery to fill in the gaps. Poitras, like the authors a Canadian of Native American heritage, uses ever-changing panoramas of sky in his illustrations, dwarfing the people and horses silhouetted in black. The paintings detail both present and past, as full-bleed spreads sans text evoke an undeveloped landscape or grazing bison. A CD containing English and Cree readings of the story, as well as Cree round dance music, is included. Ages 4-8. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Resounding with themes of community and the cyclical rhythms of life, this lyrical tale by Bouchard (Nokum Is My Teacher) and debut author Willier pays tribute to the power of Cree traditions. The mostly rhyming verse (a Cree version runs with the English) is narrated by a youth who visits a First Nations gathering: "Have you danced the round dance yet?/ It's always been my favorite one./ My Moosum and my Kokum/ Let me dance it to the rising sun." Without notes or definitions for the smattering of Cree words, the presentation assumes some prior knowledge of Native cultures; readers will have to trust the rhythms of the writing and the strong imagery to fill in the gaps. Poitras, like the authors a Canadian of Native American heritage, uses ever-changing panoramas of sky in his illustrations, dwarfing the people and horses silhouetted in black. The paintings detail both present and past, as full-bleed spreads sans text evoke an undeveloped landscape or grazing bison. A CD containing English and Cree readings of the story, as well as Cree round dance music, is included. Ages 4-8. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.School Library Journal
K-Gr 5
This bilingual book (English and Cree) recounts in verse the Round Dance, a celebration of the seasonal changes in nature and in life. The roughly rhyming narrative is told through the voice of a young person but assumes prior knowledge of Native customs and phrases. Cree words are used in context but not defined. "I'm tired but I feel warm and good./My Moosum and my Kokum/lead me home the way I knew they would." At times, the text reads almost like a riddle: "I bid my Kokum to come near/and ask if she can hear at all/I whisper softly, 'Can you hear/the circles in my heart-they call??? '" The illustrations range from striking silhouettes of human figures, horses, and trees against mostly watercolor backgrounds to more abstract and modern images of Native symbols such as a red handprint and a Native face with tears. Four full-page wordless spreads with mountains, teepee, and buffalo give readers a chance to pause and contemplate the words. This book is best used as a read-aloud. A CD reciting the text in English and Cree with Round Dance drumming accompanies the book. A good choice for libraries with strong Native culture collections.-Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library