A new book by Mangeshig Pawis-Seckley, translated by Mary Ann Corbiere Boozhoo! Hello! is a dual language, English and Anishinaabemowin, story inspired by Bill Martin Jr’s Brown Bear story.

In the morning, readers meet many different animals as they explore the sights and sounds of the forest.

Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley’s masterful storytelling brings the feel of a classic to a new generation of readers! There are so many amazing things to say about this story. First, the dual language format is so spectacular, offering readers two ways to enjoy the story and I really appreciate that the Anishinaabemowin is first on the page followed by the English. With a significant lack of stories in Native languages, this story is a crucial text for young readers.

I LOVE that the words are so big on the page. This makes the story incredibly accessible not only to adults using it as a read aloud but also to emergent readers navigating the story on their own.

The story navigates between what an animal sees and what an animal hears. Using the two senses in the descriptions offers readers a wealth of descriptive language that they can then take into their own story telling and writing.

Finally the illustrations are the highlight of this story. Big bold Woodland style illustrations fill one side of a two page spread while the big words fill the other. The illustrations, also by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, immerse the reader into the story, and just like Eric Carl’s illustrations highlight the animal for readers in a unique and very special way.