Fredericton, New Brunswick
The Mi’kmaw Waisisk-The Mi’kmaw Animals by Alan Syliboy; the author of The Thundermaker showcased nine animals in the Mi’kmaw and English languages through his colourful illustrations. From animals such as Beavers, and Caribous, to Humpback Whales, the book acts as a wonderful introduction to Mi’kmaw vocabulary. Published by Nimbus Publishing, you can now learn about the names of animals in Mi’kmaw and take the help of the art in the book to guide you and learn in a fun way.
The illustrations in the book, make all the vocabulary belong there, as each word is brought to life with Syliboy’s exemplary art. I found myself seeing the connection between the colour palette of each illustration. Each animal had its unique trait, but they were all connected through colours. I would say there were larger amounts of cool tones rather than warm tones. It reminded me of how things we find in nature are relaxing and calming. Just the colours by themselves proved to me how Syliboy’s art is created with careful thoughts and passion. A big round of applause for the art in the book, I will be coming back to take inspiration from techniques used.
The book was a fun and easy way to add more words to my developing vocabulary in the Mi’kmaw language. It’s sometimes the simplest books that can teach you the most. I always like to be able to compare the vocabulary words in both languages, so having them right next to each other was a huge help. I have mentioned this before in my other book reviews, but I always like to compare and contrast both languages to see the similarities and differences, and the root of that strategy derives from single words. It’s a block strategy of comparing and contrasting single words, then sentences, paragraphs, and more. It was refreshing to compare just vocabulary words again and revisit previous learnings.
Some of my favourite animal names were:
• Katew- Eel
• Kopit- Beaver
• Mimikej- Butterfly
• Tesipow- Horse
• Tia’m- Moose
Overall, I rate this book 5/5 stars for its simple and easy way of learning the names of Mi’kmaw animals accompanied by the eye-catching and beautiful art. This is a perfect book for children who are just starting to learn new words for all art enthusiasts out there.