My Friend May
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
From the winner of the New York Times Best Illustrated Book Prize and the American Indian Youth Literature Award
I’d like to tell you a rather true story about a big black cat who started out gray. Her name was May.
Margaux and her cat May became friends when Margaux was just six years old. They grew up together, sharing countless memories along the way. But one day, May is late coming home. Where is May? Is she under the porch? Maybe on the roof?
Margaux’s nitôsis (the Cree word for auntie) helps search for May in the tall grass. But soon nitôsis needs to leave: she’s moving away to the big city, and has to pack her things into boxes. Margaux helps nitôsis, but she can’t take her mind off May. Will she ever return? nitôsis is worried, too. But little do they know, May has a surprise in store for both of them!
This fun and heartwarming story with a surprise happy ending invites readers to share their own cat stories. My Friend May is a tribute to love and the balance between all beings, and the experiences and emotions that connect us all.
My Friend May features:A glossary of Cree words used throughout the bookBackmatter content that includes a pronunciation guide
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
With a tranquil narrative voice and collage-like artwork in subdued colors, Cree-Métis creator Flett (Just Like Grandma) tells the "rather true" story of May, "a big black cat who started out gray." The feline likes "to be under things, chairs and stools, and sofas," is "unsure of oranges," and returns dependably at dinnertime each day. When she doesn't show up one afternoon, May's young human friend Margaux worries, and the family searches with no success. While Margaux frets about May, the child helps a loved one pack for a move to the city: "She missed May and was going to miss nitôsis/auntie." As Margaux sits on the stairs, text traces her concerns ("Was alone, was she hurt, was she hungry?") before shifting to those of nitôsis/auntie, now unpacking in a new home ("She missed everyone back home, and she was tired"). The story's surprise ending satisfies, and so does its slow, thoughtful buildup. It's an emotionally rich telling that smartly, tenderly foregrounds multiple characters' perspectives to limn close familial connections. An author's note and an extended glossary conclude. Ages 4–8.
