Book review: The Hawk Shadow

Reviewed by Alex Hebert

Winter is storytelling time for Anishinaabe. This is a great book to read with your little ones and dream of spring again.

The Hawk Shadow is a cute story about a girl named Serenity who goes with her brother Big Ed to his fishing spot. On the way to the fishing spot on the Hawk River, Big Ed teaches Serenity along the way about chokecherries, ravens, and all the other wildlife around them

At one point, Serenity asks Big Ed how Hawk River got its name. Her brother explains how Gekek (hawks) are the Keepers of the river and are the Protectors because of their ability to see things far off in the distance.

They also talk about Cedar being medicine and at one point in the story, he teases her a bit that she won’t catch any fish with the rod that their dad made her out of a spruce branch and moose sinew. She says that it makes her hands smell like sap, but she loves it. I won’t spoil the importance of this rod in the story for those who will go read this book, but in the end, it’s the traditional ways that are best. Serenity listens to the Red-Tailed Hawk and catches more than trout. There are just some things that you cannot learn in an indoor classroom.

I liked that you could hear, feel, smell, and taste this story since the descriptions were accurate and very relatable.

Overall, I thought that this story was nice along with the other books in the series such as Morning on the Lake, SkySisters, and The Spirit Trackers. These all focus on a teaching and traditional, land-based learning. Some may recall that these books were a part of a storytelling series that the Anishinabek Nation Youth Program had online during the COVID-19 pandemic. This book is suitable for ages 4-7 or Grades Pre-K to 2.

The author, Jan Bourdeau Waboose is a great storyteller. She is Ojibwe Mukwa Doodem from Northern Ontario. The illustrations are by Karlene Harvey who grew up on the territories of the Semiahmook and Kwantlen Nations. I really enjoyed her illustration style and perspectives to move the story along.

Jan Bordeau Waboose and Karlene Harvey, The Hawk Shadow. Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2024.

ISBN 978-1-5253-1084-3