Phyllis's Orange Shirt
Written by Phyllis Webstad
Illustrated by Brock Nicol
Tess's Red Dress: Honouring Love and Family
Written by Carolyn Roberts
Illustrated by Kelsey Mata Foote
Published by Medicine Wheel Publishing
Mom's Review
Phyllis' Orange Shirt, for the youngest audience, and Tess's Red Dress, for early grade children, both introduce the difficult subject of harm to First Nations peoples perpetrated by residential schools in Canada. Both are good books for opening the door to conversations about the relationship between First Nations peoples and colonizers, the importance of remembering our lost family members, as well as the importance of honoring our traditions and embracing our own cultures.
In Phyllis's Orange Shirt, we follow young Phyllis who loves the grandmother she lives with. When she goes away to residential school during the academic year, she has to conform to rules that deny her heritage and self. When she returns home, however, she thrives. The youngest audience can easily identify with Phyllis who is pained to be separated from her family and understand that no good comes from taking her away from that loving family. On the final page, the audience learns why September 30 is Orange Shirt Day, a day to remember that each child deserves respect. Intended for the youngest audience, this non-fiction picture book focuses on how Phyllis's life is good with her family and that she deserves to remain in that life.
Tess's Red Dress is a difficult read but an encouraging one. Tess's aunt vanished as a child, we can assume in a residential school. Although missing and missed, Auntie's presence is felt by the family; Tess's mother talks about her sister as part of their life so that Tess knows the girl she was. On the day the book takes place, Tess and her parents march to remember Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, honoring Tess's aunt and all women. Through conversation between Tess and her mom as they prepare for the march, readers understand the impact Auntie's disappearance has had on multiple generations of the family and how, by wearing red dresses, First Nations women speak against violence and for respect. The abuses suffered by First Nations people are not outline specifically in the text for children, but back matter offers detailed information about systemic oppression by the colonizing forces so that adult readers can have maturity-appropriate conversations with their children. Tess's Red Dress ends on a note of optimism for the future.
Both books pave the way for needed conversations, acknowledgment of abuses, and respectful futures.
Comments
Post a Comment