Tracy Kampa, children's librarian at the Grand Rapids Area Library is back for another season of recommendations for What We're Reading.
Across the Ice: How We Saved the Ojibwe Horse, by Darcy Whitecrow and Heather M. O'Connor, with illustrations by Natasha Donovan.
Tracy's take: Have you ever heard of the Ojibwe horse? I hadn't. The Ojibwe horse is a wild breed that once lived among the Ojibwe people in northern Minnesota and northwestern Ontario. The Ojibwe used the horses to help run their trap lines, pull sleighs, and haul wood. In return, the people fed the horses through long winters. In the spring, the horses would carry the people to their summer camps and then run free until fall, when the Ojibwe would round them up once again. They used to number in the thousands. When these areas were settled, the horses were often captured and destroyed until by 1977, there were only four left. The Canadian government wanted to eliminate them, calling them a health hazard, but the Ojibwe had bred these horses for many, many generations and thought them their spirit animals. They hatched a plan to save the last four Ojibwe horses, dubbed the “Heist Across the Ice,” which included a solidly frozen lake, a horse trailer, and a trip across the border into Minnesota. Since that time, the herd has been growing slowly until today. There are about 180 Ojibwe horses, including a small handful returned to Lac La Croix First Nation from where the last four had been rescued.
This picture book is an absolutely fascinating read. I'd highly recommend Across the Ice: How We Saved the Ojibwe Horse by Darcy Whitecrow and Heather M. O'Connor, with illustrations by Natasha Donovan.
A Snow Day for Amos McGee, by Philip C. Stead with illustrations by Erin E. Stead.
Tracy's take: I am always so excited when a new Amos McGee book finally reaches my desk. You may remember the first, A Sick Day for Amos McGee, which won the 2011 Caldecott Medal. In that book, Amos McGee, Zookeeper at the City Zoo, was visited and cared for by the zoo animals after Amos didn't show up for work due to illness. The story is gentle. and the double-page spread of the animals on the bus is one of my all-time favorite illustrations. This new third edition to the Amos McGee dynasty is A Snow Day for Amos McGee. Amos loves snow, and every morning he listens to the weather, hoping to hear that snow was expected. My favorite line from the book: "Amos liked to imagine the radio was a crackling fireplace. He warmed himself each day with the possibility of good news." Isn't that a lovely thought? Amos, while waiting, is also knitting warm gifts for his animal friends. And of course, one day it actually snows. Amos and the animals celebrate with all the good things of winter. building snow owls, sliding, making snow angels, filling the bird feeders, and of course, ending the day with hot chocolate.
This book is gentle and beautiful, and in my opinion, perfect. It is a book that forces the reader to slow down and remember the joy that comes from simplicity, generosity, and creating shared memories. Please give yourself a reminder of the goodness that exists. Spend some time with Amos and his friends in A Snow Day for Amos McGee, written by Philip C. Stead with beautiful illustrations by Erin E. Stead.
Isle of Ever, by Jen Calonita.
Tracy's take: I couldn't wait to start Isle of Ever by Jen Calonita. And the book didn't disappoint. It has all the hallmarks of a great read: a downtrodden family visited by a lawyer who reveals that Everly Benedict is actually the heir to a vast fortune. But to get the fortune, she must play and win a game that was set forth by her ancestors 200 years earlier. The game has a deadline. It must be won by June 12, 2025, fewer than two weeks away. Benny, as she is known to her friends and family, and her mother are swept off to their ancestral home, and she is given the first clue.
What follows is a wonderful story filled with mystery and intrigue. The clues and discoveries are meted out at the perfect pace, and more than once, I caught myself thinking, 'Huh, I didn't see that coming.' There are hidden passages and dark and stormy nights, a one-eyed cat, and a 200-year-old diary with missing entries. There are friends trying to decipher meaning and combing through attics and basements in their desperate search. There is a missing island with perhaps people who need rescuing. There is the appearance of the blood orange moon, which only happens every 200 years. The final scene sees this all come together with a probable solution, as long as you believe that islands can disappear and reappear. And I was turning pages with speed and anticipation at the end. And then...the end! This, it turns out, is the first in a series, and the second won't be out until March. I highly recommend this book, but if cliffhangers are not your style, I'd put it on your March To-Read list so you can move right into book two. For those of you who don't mind a little wait for your answers, check out Isle of Ever by Jen Calonita.
Tracy's take: Have you ever had a book in your TBR (to-be-read) pile that you just didn't want to read? But then it kept showing up on the best of lists, and in my case, on lots of mock Newbery lists. Yeah, me too. There was nothing that compelled me to pick up The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest.
But of course, I did flip open the cover, giving myself permission to stop after two chapters. And, of course, I didn't stop. Because, as usual, everybody who had actually read the book was correct. It is fantastic.
Clare the fox is undead, which means he lives on the very edge of life, and his job is to usher animals to their afterlives. His forest is awash in eternal autumn, not quite dead. but certainly not full of life. Periodically, he gets a knock on the door and opens to find a very confused animal. Clare gently answers questions and gives his memorized speech explaining that each animal can now go to one of four realms, peace, pleasure, progress, or pain, depending on what they enjoyed in life. One of four colored lights will help lead the newly deceased to their destiny. Clare sends them off with a safe travels, and he listens for a soft, low crackle, indicating the afterlife has accepted a new soul. Clare then returns to his mushroom gardening. This peace is soon interrupted when the badger, Gingersnipes, arrives. Gingersnipes is not allowed into any realm, and she is continually led back to Clare's door after each attempt. Neither Clare nor Gingersnipes are happy about the situation, and together they set off to find answers. Their journey not only goes beyond Deadwood Forest, which puts Clare in mortal danger, but it also is a more eternal journey, one Clare never expected to take. And soon, it will be All Hallows' Eve, the one night when all four realms are open, and it is supremely dangerous for ushers to be outside. But as you may have guessed, this one night will be unlike anything Clare has ever experienced. The ending of this tale took my breath away.
If you like your fantasies with a little bit of mystery and a whole lot of intelligence, don't miss The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman.
Ask for these books at your local public library. Happy readings!
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