Grand Chief Salamoo Cook is Coming to Town is a delightful and educational children’s book. A great celebration of the rich culture and language of the Cree people. A must read! ~ Momma Braga
Synopsis
Grand Chief Salamoo Cook Is Coming to Town is a musical picture book that celebrates the rich culture and language of the Cree people. The book tells the story of a young rabbit named Weeskits, who runs home to Kisoos, a town known as the Earth’s belly button, to announce that the Grand Chief of all rabbits, Salamoo Cook, is coming to host a contest. The prize is a year’s supply of waaskee-choos juice, a healing drink made from spruce cones. Weeskits’ brother Keegach wants to win the juice for his wife, who suffers from manchoos, a mysterious illness.
#MelAndNikkiReview
Grand Chief Salamoo Cook Is Coming to Town is a delightful and educational book for children who are interested in learning more about the Cree culture and language. It is also a great way to introduce them to some of the music and storytelling traditions of this Indigenous people. The book is suitable for ages 7 and up. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves books that are both entertaining and informative.
For this #MelAndNikkiReview, we give this book 5 stars out of 5!
If you would like to add this beautiful book to your reading lineup, click here.
About the Author and Illustrator
The book is written by Tomson Highway, a renowned playwright, author and musician who is fluent in French, English and Cree. He has written many plays and books that explore the themes of identity, history and reconciliation. He is also the first Aboriginal writer to receive the Order of Canada1. The book features eight songs performed in Cree by singers Coral Egan, Alexandre Désilets, Moe Clark and Angel Baribeau. The songs are catchy and fun, and they teach some basic words and phrases in Cree.
The illustrations by Delphine Renon are colorful and expressive. They capture the vibrant atmosphere of Kisoos and the diverse characters of the rabbits. The book also includes a QR code that leads to an online version of the story and songs. Additionally, there is a glossary of Cree words used throughout the book.
Until next time…Happy Parenting!
~ Momma Braga
*This book was provided in exchange of an honest review. All opinions expressed our own.
