| Name: | Description: | Size: | Format: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 648.79 KB | Adobe PDF |
Authors
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Canadian children’s literature has a relatively short history, which is not surprising because
Canadian literature itself is a recent and problematic category, struggling for a definition and
identity of its own. The lack of national homogeneity is reflected in both CanLit and its
counterpart for children, and rather than being a weakness, the multitude of voices that inhabit
the Canadian territory has become its essence and strength. Lately, we have noticed a growing
interest and market demand for picture books by Indigenous voices. Melanie Florence is one
such voice, and she honours her past by bringing to the fore the inescapable dark weight of
collective tragedies such as the residential school system and the disappearance and murder
of Aboriginal women and girls, a hidden national crisis. In this article, we aim at getting to
know and help readers discover Missing Nimâmâ and Stolen Words by this new picture book
writer, who is speaking up and voicing First Nations’ concerns, bringing back memories, but
also forging a space for dialogue and negotiation, a space where text and illustration are
combined and provide a harmonious whole. In this space, difference and binarisms do not
result in dualism, but in highly synergistic relationships.