Tapwe and the Magic Hat
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
"Beautiful, poignant and poetic. This story will weave its way into the hearts and minds of readers for generations."
—Monique Gray Smith, author of My Heart Fills With Happiness
From beloved Indigenous icon Buffy Sainte-Marie comes a chapter book inspired by oral histories and traditions. On a prairie reserve, Tâpwê receives a mysterious gift from Kokhom (grandma)—and finds himself on an unforgettable adventure.
Tâpwê can’t wait to spend a week with his cousins on the other side of the Cree reserve—especially since Kokhom, his grandma, has given him the most amazing gift: a Magic Hat with bluebirds and grass snakes that come to life! Tâpwê is so excited that he soon forgets Kokhom’s advice: Watch out for tricksters!
Tâpwê’s adventure is everything he imagined. He meets his cousins, takes part in a powwow, and sleeps in a tipi. But soon he’s reminded of Kokhom’s words. Is his new friend Wâpos leading him astray with mischief?
Tâpwê and the Magic Hat draws on a rich Indigenous tradition of storytelling and features:
A memorable cast of characters from both imagination and legend. A glossary and pronunciation guide of Cree words used in the book. A note to parents and teachers from Buffy Sainte-Marie about trickster stories. An important message for young readers about being yourself, and learning to dance to the beat of your own heart.Features black and white illustrations throughout.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This delightful kids’ book by Indigenous artist and singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie is an imaginative story with a deeply important message. Before young Tâpwê’s grandmother drops him off for a fun week with his cousins on the Cree reserve, she reminds him: Always be on the lookout for tricksters. But her lesson seems to go out the window when he meets a mischievous human-sized rabbit named Wâpos, who persuades Tâpwê to misbehave. With its lively illustrations by Michelle Alynn Clement, this chapter book is a fun, heartfelt reminder to stay true to yourself. Sainte-Marie offers parents and teachers an insightful note about the traditional native themes in her storytelling, along with a helpful glossary of Cree words.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Positioning this character-driven chapter book as a work of contemporary fiction that "should not be presented... as an ‘authentic' legend in the historical sense," Cree activist and musician Sainte-Marie opens with an intimate-feeling line: "Kayâs—once upon a time—there was a boy who lived in a town not too far from here." The chapters follow a young Cree protagonist, Tâpwê, who lives with his Kohkom "way out on the far edge of the reserve" during the summer while his mother attends tribal college. When a relative invites Tâpwê to visit his second cousins on another reserve during their powwow, Kohkom gives Tâpwê a magic hat that previously belonged to her. The hat houses living, speaking bluebirds and grass snakes, and, Kohkom tells him, will help him on his way. Then the arrival of a large rabbit Trickster, Wâpos, throws things into chaos. The meandering installments offer much to admire and cherish, twining Indigenous beliefs and traditions with descriptions of reserve life as well as lessons around family and the natural world ("He would wake up early to her soft morning song and smell the sweetgrass she burned as she thanked the creator for the day"). An author's note and glossary conclude this volume, which publishes simultaneously in Cree and English. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 6–9.
