Bowwow Powwow

          

Bowwow Powwow by Brenda J. Child

                               

    Brenda J. Child's book, Bowwow Powwow, tells the story of a young girl named Windy Girl. Windy Girl, and her dog, Itchy Boy, enjoy adventures together, but their favorite activity is driving with Uncle's and listening to his stories about powwows from his childhood. After a powwow one day, Windy Girl falls asleep and dreams of a "bowwow powwow," where the dancers are dogs.

    What stood out to me the most about this book is that it is a bilingual-book. On every page is the text in English, as well as Anishinaabemowin. The book was translated into Anishinaabemowin by Gordon Jourdain, a member of the Lac La Croix First Nation of Ontario, and a teacher at the Misaabekong Ojibwe Language Immersion program in the Duluth Public Schools. Additionally, I appreciate that the story was written, illustrated, and translated by members of American Indian nations, which gives the book a genuine authenticity. Brenda Child is a member of the Red Lake Ojibwe Nation of Minnesota and Jonathan Thunder is also a member of the Red Lake Ojibwe Nation. 

    Bowwow Powwow is a beautifully written and illustrated book. Starting with the cover, readers can see Windy Girl and Itchy Boy in Uncle's truck, while one of the bowwow powwow dancers can be seen in a constellation in the sky. This visual brought back images of my own childhood, being in the car with my parents and hearing stories from their past. The creative illustrations continue throughout the book; my favorite part of the book is the dream sequence. As Windy Girl dreams of a powwow, the illustrations show the powwow dancers as dogs. This is a recall of a story Uncle told Windy Girl about how powwow dancers would go from house to house before a powwow singing, "we are like dogs. We are like dogs." Although the illustrations are not to my taste, I can see how children would be drawn to the cartoon-like illustrations. 

    I also appreciated the brief author's note at the end of the book which explained the concept of the book and gave background on the Ojibwe clans. The idea of a powwow attended entirely by dogs had its roots in a traditional Ojibwe "Begging Dance." Songs were part of the performance and recognized the relationship between people and animals. This was a great insight into the traditions of the Ojibwe Nation. 

    Overall, I thought that Bowwwow Powwwow was a great book and would be an invaluable tool when teaching children about American Indians and the culture of their nations. The only thing I would have liked to see would have been a section that translated keywords from English to Anishinaabemowin with pronunciations. 

Bowwow Powwow by Brenda J. Child; illustrated by Jonathan Thunder; translated by Gordon Jourdain. Minnesota Historical Society Press (2018). 

For more information about Brenda J. Child click here. 

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