On The Trapline

A picture book celebrating Indigenous culture and traditions. The Governor General Award--winning team behind When We Were Alone shares a story that honors our connections to our past and our grandfathers and fathers.

A boy and Moshom, his grandpa, take a trip together to visit a place of great meaning to Moshom. A trapline is where people hunt and live off the land, and it was where Moshom grew up. As they embark on their northern journey, the child repeatedly asks his grandfather, "Is this your trapline?" Along the way, the boy finds himself imagining what life was like two generations ago -- a life that appears to be both different from and similar to his life now. This is a heartfelt story about memory, imagination and intergenerational connection that perfectly captures the experience of a young child's wonder as he is introduced to places and stories that hold meaning for his family.

PRAISE

"Robertson’s text is as spare as Flett’s artwork, leaving plenty of space for readers to feel the emotions evoked by both. The illustrations’ muted colors and the poetic rhythm of the words slow the world down for remembering. " — Kirkus Reviews Star Review

"The Indigenous creators behind Governor General’s Award–winning When We Were Alone return for this grandparent-child exploration of traplines, “where people hunt animals and live off the land.” Robertson, who has Swampy Cree heritage, follows Moshom, a Swampy Cree Elder, who guides his grandchild through the trapline—as well as through memories of his time there as a child. In a deceptively simple, conversational tone, the child relays observations alongside their grandfather’s poignant recollections, offering a Swampy Cree word at the bottom of almost every page: “I ask Moshom what it was like going to school after living on the trapline.... ‘I learned in both places,’ he says. ‘I just learned different things.’/ Pahkan means ‘different.’ ” Flett (who is Cree-Métis) employs a naturalistic color palette for the simple, generously spaced geometric illustrations of light brown-skinned figures, rendered in pastel on paper, then composited digitally. A deeply affecting journey of memory and history." — Pusblishers' Weekly Starred Review

Book Details:

Hardcover

Pages: 48

Age Range: 4-8 yrs