My Street Remembers
A story about people and places, My Street Remembers by Karen Krossing and Cathie Jamieson is an act of reconciliation.
Readers will journey through time in this beautiful picture book, traveling along Danforth Avenue starting over 14000 years ago and journeying to the present. The story details how the land has changed and how the people on the land have also changed. This story really digs into the history of the First Peoples on this land and how that land was unfairly and unjustly taken away, how the people suffered and how the land was paved to make way for immigration.
Karen Krossing’s lyrical text takes readers through history to show how the choices of the past have affected the future. She tells the story of one street, however, this is the story of many streets across Turtle Island (now called North America). I appreciate how she conveys the enduring harm to the Mississauga, Wendat and Anishinaabeg in a way that is firm and hopeful for change.
In the author’s note at the end of the book, Karen Krossing acknowledges that she is a White Settler who has benefited from the history of the land, living in this area and raising her family. She collaborated with Indigenous scholars to create an accurate and honest history of Danforth Ave. I particularly love this book because I too live in this same area and to have a story that informs me and my family of the history of this place helps us appreciate it that much more.
At the end of the story, readers are invited to think on the question - what does your street remember? We are also treated to a complete timeline of the history of Danforth Ave for further reading and discovery.
Cathie Jamieson’s art tells more of the story than the text ever could. Through the beautiful spreads, readers travel with her through time and gain a greater understanding of life throughout history in this area and areas very similar to it. Her art is simple in line and colour but rich in design and interest that will keep readers returning to this story to learn and see more.
