Another Leaf: A Refugee Storyby Marg Epp as told by Ma They YarePublished by YNWPReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$19.95 ISBN 9781778690310 Ten years ago, while backpacking around Thailand, I visited a Karen village to photograph a woman with gold rings elongating her neck. I knew nothing of Karen culture and was shamelessly after the sheer spectacle. While that experience deserves to be in a “How Not to Be a Culturally Sensitive Traveler” file, it did have me especially eager to read Another Leaf: A Refugee Story, the memoir of a Myanmar-born Karen woman, Ma They Yare, as told, with the aid of translators, to her friend, Marg Epp. A small reparation, yes, but a step in the right direction. Epp and her refugee sponsorship group at Wildwood Mennonite Church in Saskatoon were responsible, with assistance from the Mennonite Central Committee, for the immigration of single mother Ma They Yare and her five children to Saskatoon in 2016. Ma They Yare bravely fled war-ravaged Myanmar (formerly Burma) with her family, and they remained in Thailand’s Mae Ra Mu Luang refugee camp for fourteen years before their arrival in Canada (sans the children’s father), where everything—food, clothing, currency, weather, customs, language—was new…

I Can Do It Afraidby Lynne Harley, Illustrated by Ben YoungPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Sally Meadows$26.95 ISBN 9781778690686 The monarch butterfly shivers as cooler temperatures signal the advent of the fall season in Canada. She instinctively envisions travelling to a warmer place; but before she starts her 3000-mile (~4800-kilometre) migration to the protected oyamel fir forests of central Mexico where she will join tens to hundreds of millions of other wintering monarchs, she must silence the voice of self-doubt. On her journey she will learn to persevere through challenges and dangers including predators, storms, fatigue, injury, and loss of safe havens due to climate change, urban sprawl, and pesticides. Author Lynne Harley uses delightful, lilting rhymes to detail the monarch’s journey. Her choice to endow anthropomorphic features to the butterfly helps young readers explore the connection between fear, courage, and the drive to overcome as inspired by the whispers and dreams of their own hearts. Through I Can Do It Afraid, children are encouraged to dream big and set their imagination free by letting go of that inner voice that raises doubt about what they can achieve. Harley’s message is that it is okay to “begin your…

Marika and the Auctionby Helen Metella, Illustrated by Hannah Kate MillerPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Sally Meadows$24.95 ISBN 9781778690679 It might be easy to confuse Marika and the Auction with a children’s book. It is a typical picture book size and shape with approximately the same number of pages plus colourful, amusing illustrations. But there is one fundamental difference: this book is a “storybook for seniors” intended for adults with memory problems. Author Helen Metella wrote this book specifically for adults with dementia as inspired by, and for, her own mother. Unlike most children’s books, the star of the story is an adult. The setting is in the 1970s, when many individuals now in their eighties had young kids and a lively, energetic life. From fashion to tableware to home décor to the challenges of raising children, this book is replete with details that may trigger personal memories of older adults. This in turn may lead to precious conversations about their lives that their families will treasure. At the start of the story, Marika, a resourceful mother of five, longs to have a sleek, sophisticated home where her children can blossom. Knowing that they are on a tight…

Kisēwātisi: Be Kindby Elizabeth Merasty, Illustrations by Brie Phillips, Woodland Cree Translations by Edie VennePublished by Your Nickle’s Worth Publishing (YNWP)Review by Michelle Shaw$19.95 ISBN 9781778690624 The simplest stories and actions sometimes have the deepest effect. Elizabeth Merasty’s new, beautifully illustrated children’s book, about simple acts of kindness, belie the deeper narrative of her mother’s stay at a residential school. As a child Merasty’s late mother, Catherine Conner (née Merasty), made the long journey, with her siblings, by boat from Pelican Narrows to the Sturgeon Landing Residential School in northern Saskatchewan. The book opens with an encounter told through the eyes of a child – Elizabeth – who is at the grocery store with her mother. Suddenly a woman appears, recognises her mother and hugs her with tears in her eyes. They begin to laugh and talk in Cree. Later, Elizabeth’s mother explains that they went to boarding school together and shared many experiences. She says it’s been almost 40 years since they went to school, but the woman was happy to see her because she remembers the kindness she experienced. “Be kind,” she tells her daughter. “You will never be sorry you were kind.” The soft-cover book is illustrated…

Li’l One – oskawasisby Treena WynesIllustrated by Olha TkachenkoTranslated by Charlotte RossPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Sally Meadows$19.95 ISBN 9781778690631 In the opening scene of Li’l One – oskawasis, a very pregnant woman looks up to the sky, arms wrapped around her belly, almost certainly daydreaming about her little one who will soon arrive. Gathered in the background, her extended family members smile with expectancy. This book is ostensibly about the birth of a child, but what really struck me was the emphasis on the significant role community–both people and natural setting–plays in welcoming a First Nations baby into the fold. This beautifully illustrated story is told with eager anticipation, as the entire family prepares for the child’s birth. We see key cultural elements of Cree-speaking peoples as grandparents lovingly craft a cradle board and moccasins, while aunties and uncles, respectively, bead regalia and hunt for the impending celebratory feast. We also see how nature–the birds, the wind, the trees, and the moon–extend a welcoming invitation to the baby soon to be born. The book is replete with lovely phrasing from author Treena Wynes including this one: “You’re a gift from Creator is what we are told, borrowed…

Webster the Smiling Dogby Traci DeckIllustrated by Maria DaghPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Sally Meadows$19.95 ISBN 9781778690594 Webster lives in a pet store where he and his siblings wait for their forever homes. First, his sister is adopted, then his brother. Other dogs, including two playful beagle puppies and two endearing cairn terriers come and go. Despite his sunny disposition, Webster is still at the shop five months after his arrival. Will Webster ever get the family he longs for? I couldn’t help smiling when I picked up my copy of Webster the Smiling Dog. With its bright yellow cover adorned with the face of an adorable, fluffy white pup, the book is visually appealing and will draw children (and those who read to them) to it, whether they long for a furry friend or are reminded of their own pet’s origin story. I appreciated how author Traci Deck highlighted the different kinds of adoptive families (ones with kids, couples, and singles) eager to welcome a new pet into their life. I can see this book being a favourite in classrooms and in the home, with a story kids will want to read over and over again. The…

A Fondness for the Reckless: A Ten Past Midnight Storyby Jennifer Jacoby-SmithPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Toby A. Welch  $24.95 ISBN 9781778690488 Life is busy and reading time often gets squeezed between laundry cycles and those last minutes before sleep takes a hold of me. That’s my reality, even as a book nerd. But all that – my day job, the house chores, even my gym classes – came to a screeching halt when I picked up A Fondness for the Reckless. I couldn’t put this entertaining book down! You don’t have to be interested in the music industry – I’m not – to fall into Indie’s fascinating world. The book follows him from a boy with big dreams of being a music star to someone actually living the life: recording, performing, navigating the personalities of a boy band, and figuring out who he is and what he wants. The details of the journey are crisp and surprisingly addictive.  A Fondness for the Reckless jumps all over the place in terms of timelines. We meet present-day Indie in 2016 as he jets off to secure a music deal. We rewind to 2009 and 2010, when he is a teen sneaking into…

On the Hunt for William Hallett: Discovering a Forgotten Métis Leaderby Audrhea LandePublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Toby A. Welch  $29.95 ISBN 9781778690525 A nearly forgotten figure from Métis history has come alive! On the Hunt for William Hallett drew me in initially because of its beautiful cover: a man galloping across the plains on horseback, a rifle in one hand, a buffalo running alongside. The image pulled me in but the vivid writing and fascinating storyline kept me hooked. I had never heard of William Hallett, but I assumed that he was an interesting fellow if someone penned a book about him; after all he has been dead over a century. A sworn enemy of Louis Riel, Hallett called himself “a loyal half-breed of the Red River settlement.” He was born in 1811 to a mother of the Blood (Kainai) tribe, which was part of the Blackfoot Confederacy. He went on to do unforgettable things. Author Audrhea Lande summed Hallett up better than I could: “A man who loved the wild prairies and knew them intimately. A man connected to the original people of the plains. A man who spoke up for justice and fair treatment. A man of great stamina and endurance….

Ways to Go: Rediscovering Travel as told through Two Himalaya Adventures – 1971 and 2023Edited by Bob Henderson and Torbjørn YdegaardPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Michelle Shaw$29.95 ISBN 9781778690549 In most mountaineering exploits that I’ve read or heard about, the point always seems to be about reaching the summit – and the blood, sweat and tears involved to get there. Ways to Go explores a completely different approach. How can we travel more intentionally and responsibly with less impact on the world around us? The book is shaped around a particular journey. In 1971, three Norwegian mountaineers – Arne Næss, Sigmund Kvaløy Setreng, and Nils Faarlund – embarked on an expedition to the Sherpa community of Beding, Nepal, located in the Rolwaling Valley near the sacred mountain of Tseringma. The men were scholars, philosophers and activists and their perspective was vastly different to most of the mountaineers of their day. They weren’t interested in simply forging ahead to reach the summit of a sacred mountain regardless of the wishes of the local community. They had a more focused, thoughtful approach – and they decided theirs would be an anti-expedition. Ways to Go explores the development of eco-mountaineering and…

Transforming Pain into Purpose: My Story of Mental Illness, Addiction & Redemptionby Allan KehlerPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Toby A. Welch  $19.95 ISBN 9781778690495 Everyone you meet is going through something. Everyone has a story. Those are two facts I try to focus on when I meet people. Transforming Pain into Purpose is a literary reminder of that – you never know what struggles someone is trying to survive.  I couldn’t put Transforming Pain into Purpose down; I devoured it in one sitting. (It’s a medium length book, clocking in at 130 pages including the resources at the back.) Kehler’s story kept me drawn in from the first chapter. What an interesting journey he has been through! His life has been touched by sexual abuse, alcoholism, anxiety, manic episodes, self-harm, depression, loneliness, gambling, suicide, shame, and bipolar disorder, among other things. A romantic at heart, I loved reading about how Kehler met his now-wife, a strong, compelling woman named Tanya. I won’t spoil the story for you but I will say they didn’t meet on a dating app like most couples these days. Kehler’s writing is simple yet powerful. He conveys what he is trying to say with as few words as possible…