A beautiful new story, The Bears and the Magic Masks by Joseph Dandurand and Elinor Atkins is the fourth in the Kwantlen Stories series.

The bears and the Kwantlen have a symbiotic relationship. The Kwantlen leave fish for the bears and in turn the bears keep away other animals that might try and steal the Kwantlen fish. One day, a master carver falls into the river. Saved by the bears, he thanks them by carving special masks. The bears don’t know the magic the masks hold.

Joseph Dandurand continues to share stories of the Kwantlen people with readers in an accessible way. This book is charming and compact, easy to travel from place to place and be shared widely. I love the simple and straightforward language he uses. The story is not overly embellished by flowery description but tells the story in simple, understandable terms.

I love that the story has repeating elements that make it easy for readers to internalize and then retell themselves. Readers can participate in the reading or tell their friends and family about the new story they just heard.

The illustrations by Elinor Atkins are gorgeous. Filled with West Coast imagery and a magical feel, the illustrations leap off the pages and right into the hearts of the readers. Bold and vibrant colour choices make the book easy to find and really stand out amongst the other books on bookshelves.