Little You. Richard Van Camp. Illustrated by Julie Flett. Victoria, BC: Orca, 2013. 24 pp., board, $9.95. ISBN 978-1-4598-0249-0. Birth-preschool / Ages 0-2. Review by Dave Jenkinson. ***½/4

excerpt:

You are life
and breath adored

You are us
and so much more

With Little You, Richard van Camp, a member of the Tlicho Dene from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, has authored his second board book, the first being Welcome Song for Baby: A Lullaby for Newborns. Like Welcome Song for Baby, Little You's contents are possibly directed more at parents (and perhaps grandparents) than they are at toddlers. The brief poetic text speaks to the delight that a child has brought into its parents' lives. Whereas Welcome Song for Baby was illustrated with photographs, Van Camp's words in Little You find their visual expression in the collage illustrations of Julie Flett, a Cree-Metis artist currently living in Vancouver, BC. In each pair of facing pages, the verso contains Van Camp's text while the recto is fully taken up by Flett's artwork. Throughout, Flett's illustrations of a Metis or First Nations family, consisting of mother, father and child, capture their close physical and emotional bonds.

      Little You is an excellent purchase for public libraries as well as being a good gift for new parents!

Highly Recommended.

Dave Jenkinson, a grandparent of five, lives in Winnipeg, MB, where he edits CM.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

Hosted by the University of Manitoba.

 

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