ALA Booklist (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Brothers Joe and Cody, their parents, and Cody's dog, Ootsie, spend each summer near one of the hundreds of lakes in northern Manitoba, Canada. By naming and playing with sticks, stones, and even small animals, the brothers have no shortage of available "friends." Their favorite activity is flying "dragonfly kites," created by gently tying a thread around a dragonfly's body and running behind their captives wherever they lead. Originally published in 2002, this updated version possesses the necessary elements for a successful multicultural title: Highway's story (part of his Magical Songs of the North Wind trilogy, featuring Joe and Cody) is bilingually presented in English and Cree, while Flett's new illustrations of the vast outdoors are atmospheric gems. That said, the story's disturbing core can't be ignored: dragonfly kites are not humane. Even as the dragonflies are eventually released, the still-attached long threads don't bode well for natural survival. Sensitive children might eschew this promising story; offering kinder options could prove necessary.

Kirkus Reviews (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A bilingual English/Cree picture book describes the lakeside summer idylls of brothers Joe and Cody. Living with their parents in a tent on the shores of Manitoba's northern lakes, the First Nations boys have little human company, but they are far from alone. There's Ootsie, the little dog "who was almost a person," and the sticks and rocks they name and play with. They make temporary pets of wildlife, too: Arctic tern, loon, and eagle chicks, along with "the squirrels and the rabbits and the chipmunks that ate from their hands"; each creature is carefully named, sometimes with an English name and sometimes with a Cree one. Highway's text is spare and declarative, carefully isolating child-friendly details that brim with gentle humor. One eagle chick is named "Migisoo, which means ‘eagle' in Cree," while the other is "named Wagisoo, which doesn't mean anything but rhymes with Migisoo." Flett's equally spare signature style is a perfect match, placing black-haired, brown-skinned boys in shorts and Chucks against dark green grass and chilly-looking blue water. The titular kites are the boys' "favourite pets": dragonflies with long pieces of thread tied "gently around the middle of each." They run along with the dragonflies before letting them go over the lake. The English text is printed in black, with the Cree text printed in brick-red beneath it; both are by Highway himself. At once a celebration of heritage, the wilderness, and imagination, this book is a breath of fresh northern air. (Picture book. 5-8)

School Library Journal (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

BLGr 1-3 A bilingual book in English and Cree. Joe and Cody are two Cree brothers who live in Northern Manitoba. With their vivid imaginations and isolation from others, they roam the world. While their parents are fishing, they make toys out of sticks and rocks to play with and befriend the terns, loons, eagles, and squirrels they meet. Their favorite creature are the dragonflies. During the day, the boys tie thread around them and turn them into magic kites. At night in their dreams, they run behind their dragonfly kites, bounding up into the sky, into the sunset until morning light. Flett's illustrations are full of color with clear, sharp lines. The dragonflies' wings look like they landed on the page. VERDICT This charming tale is an engaging look at the universal joys of childhood. Recommended. Amy Zembroski, Indian Community School, Franklin, WI