ljrinaldi's review against another edition
4.0
What looks like it might be a take on Little Red Riding Hood, turns into a story of losing Bannock in the woods, and being helped to find all the ingredients by the local wildlife, so that although she can't find what was lost, she can make more of it.
Cree words are sprinkled throughout, but used in context, and with the pictures, you can figure out that sisip is a duck and that siwinikan is sugar.
And at the back of the book is a Cree to English translation as well as pronunciation guide.
Representation is important, and language dies if it is not used. This is a great way to bring the Cree language into everyday stories. One of the things I love about Cree, and this is mentioned in the back of the book is that Kohkum, which is used for grandmother, literally means "your grandmother". But it is commonly used to be just grandmother, so because that is the common usage that is how it is used here to. Languages grow with usage, and change with time.
And, we get a recipe for Bannock to boot.
A good addition to libraries and schools.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
Cree words are sprinkled throughout, but used in context, and with the pictures, you can figure out that sisip is a duck and that siwinikan is sugar.
And at the back of the book is a Cree to English translation as well as pronunciation guide.
Representation is important, and language dies if it is not used. This is a great way to bring the Cree language into everyday stories. One of the things I love about Cree, and this is mentioned in the back of the book is that Kohkum, which is used for grandmother, literally means "your grandmother". But it is commonly used to be just grandmother, so because that is the common usage that is how it is used here to. Languages grow with usage, and change with time.
And, we get a recipe for Bannock to boot.
A good addition to libraries and schools.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
black_girl_reading's review against another edition
5.0
This was just the loveliest little book about being a good helper and about family love. My Cree kiddos loved the Cree in the book, and the bannock was superb!!! I will buy this one absolutely.
antlersantlers's review against another edition
4.0
Super cute story of a little girl out to deliver some yummy bannock when bad luck befalls the bread and she asks all kinds of animals for some of the ingredients to make it again. I like the author's note that invites the reader to share this whimsical linguistic story, and I bet for a Cree speaker and those interested in Cree language revival this would be an especially fun read. The illustrations are super cute and inviting, and with some practice (for someone like me who doesn't speak Cree) it would be a fun story time book!
victxriax's review
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
elizabethlk's review against another edition
4.0
Awâsis and the World-Famous Bannock is another sweet and charming picture book coming from HighWater Press, one of my personal favourite publishers. I believe that this is Dallas Hunt's first book, but after reading this I would certainly read anything he put out in the future. I would also be willing to read anything illustrated by Amanda Strong, as her work here is lovely.
The story here is a unique interpretation of the "Red Riding Hood" fairy tale, with Awâsis losing bannock that she tries to replace with the help of animal friends, only to find herself collecting replacement ingredients instead. The story is sweet, but the language aspects here really shine, with Cree words and phrases being used on every page, many of them being identifiable by context or by the accompanying illustrations. The words and phrases have a translation and pronunciation guide in the back, which is extremely helpful for anyone unfamiliar or unfluent in the language. I thought the recipe included was a nice touch, and it appears to be easy to follow.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a solid Red Riding Hood retelling for kids, and to anyone (child or adult) interested in learning Cree or practicing Cree language skills. It is also simply a colourful and sweet story for anyone looking for a story to read with children in need of a good book.
The story here is a unique interpretation of the "Red Riding Hood" fairy tale, with Awâsis losing bannock that she tries to replace with the help of animal friends, only to find herself collecting replacement ingredients instead. The story is sweet, but the language aspects here really shine, with Cree words and phrases being used on every page, many of them being identifiable by context or by the accompanying illustrations. The words and phrases have a translation and pronunciation guide in the back, which is extremely helpful for anyone unfamiliar or unfluent in the language. I thought the recipe included was a nice touch, and it appears to be easy to follow.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a solid Red Riding Hood retelling for kids, and to anyone (child or adult) interested in learning Cree or practicing Cree language skills. It is also simply a colourful and sweet story for anyone looking for a story to read with children in need of a good book.
annsantori's review against another edition
4.0
Really well done, beautifully-illustrated book with a great pronunciation guide in back-matter to help with Cree words sprinkled throughout the text. Good for baking, forest, grandparents storytimes.
cweichel's review against another edition
4.0
This charming story tells us about a young girl, who in the process of delivering her grandmother's world famous bannock, accidentally drops it in the river. Lucky for her different animals give her the ingredients to make another batch. I like that Cree is used through every book and that there is pronunciation guide in the back matter. There is also a bannock recipe.
renee_b's review against another edition
4.0
This is a charming little book about a girl who accidentally drops her grandmother's bannock into a river while skipping through the forest. She asks animals in the forest if they can help her find more bannock, but instead they each give her an ingredient to make bannock with. She goes back to her grandmother's house and her grandmother teaches her how to make bannock with the ingredients she got.
I loved the illustrations in this book, they were friendly and adorable. I especially liked the shy bear who shows up in every picture watching the girl, only to make a surprise appearance at her grandmother's house at the end. The book also introduces readers to the Cree language, as all of the animals and ingredients referred to by their Cree name. One small detail that I loved: The owl in the book was introduced using gender-neutral pronouns.
First heard of this book on the blog
American Indians in Children's Literature This book is #ownvoices
I loved the illustrations in this book, they were friendly and adorable. I especially liked the shy bear who shows up in every picture watching the girl, only to make a surprise appearance at her grandmother's house at the end. The book also introduces readers to the Cree language, as all of the animals and ingredients referred to by their Cree name. One small detail that I loved: The owl in the book was introduced using gender-neutral pronouns.
First heard of this book on the blog
American Indians in Children's Literature This book is #ownvoices
dytiscusfriend's review
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5