We All Play: kimětawânaw
Bibliography
Flett, J. (2021). WE ALL PLAY: kimětawânaw. British Columbia, Canada: Printing International Ltd. ISBN 9781771646086
Plot Summary
Animals and children play in different ways. The sequence of the story follows actions that animals are doing like hop, hide, sniff, sneak, peek and peep. At the end of the animal’s actions the children display the same actions of the animals. It follows the same sequence for different animals. Like the whales, seals and ducks. Since they are water animals they display different play actions that the children mimic at the end. The story continues with snakes, buffalo and bears, which the children mimic again. At the end all the animals fall asleep, which the children mimic again.
Critical Analysis (Including Cultural Markers)
This picture book is an international book created by Julie Flett. Julie Flett often depicts the indigenous Canadians in her books. Although the book is simple and does not display many cultural markers, the physical appearance of the children are accurately depicted as indigenous. The illustrations show the children with dark skin tone and dark hair. The clothing of the children is regular clothing that any other child would wear. The clothing does not depict indigenous Canadians.
The author used different settings to depict the different types of animals. For example, a field, ocean and lake. The book does display the seasons. The illustrations depicted spring, summer, winter and fall. The reader can tell that the settings were consistent with the character’s environment (contemporary time) and actions. The clothing of the children seemed contemporary. The illustrations of the animals were consistent to animals found in Canada like: rabbits (wâpos), fox (mahkêsiw), turtle (mihkinâhk), owl (ôhow), beluga (wâpamêk), seal (êhkik), goose (niska), bear (maskwa), bat (apahkwâcîs), wolf (mahihkan), bobcat (pisiw), snake (kinêpik) and buffalo (paskwêwimostos).
The story was not rich in cultural details. It didn’t display or mention a specific culture. However, the author did use native indigenous translations to showcase their native language (kimêtawânaw), (kimêtawânaw mîna) and (nîstanân mîna). The illustrations were simple and used both pages of the book to show the animals and children. The author also used monotone dark colors in the illustrations.
Overall the picture book has simple illustrations with simple words to tell the story of how animals and children play the same way. However, it does not have many cultural makers that showcase one specific culture. The author does provide a list of animals and their Cree translations. She also provides an explanation of the Standard Roman Orthography (SRO) system.
Review Experts
School Library Journal (SLJ): “This delightful picture book features woodland animals, found in North America, mirroring playtime for children”.
Kirkus Review: “Simple text and bold, graphic illustrations celebrate our interconnection with the creatures who share our world”.
The Horn Book Magazine (May/June 2021): “In Flett’s lively and beautifully illustrated story, animals engage in all sorts of playful behaviors, on land and in the water. Each spread depicts one or two species, with two action verbs describing their actions”.
Connections
Young readers can enjoy this story book with many action words that they can mimic.
Look for these other titles from Julie Flett:
Birdsong
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