Mi’kmaq Campfire Stories of Prince Edward Island

From Prince Edward Island poet-laureate Julie Pellissier-Lush and artist Laurie Martin comes Mi’kmaq Campfire Stories of Prince Edward Island, an attractive and colourful book containing a selection of three stories traditionally told by the Mi’kmaq people. This book is a beautiful way to preserve the tales, which are typically part of the oral tradition, for future generations to read, understand, learn from, and enjoy.

The book begins with a brief, age-appropriate history of the Mi’kmaq people. Pellissier-Lush’s language here is poetic, without being flowery, and provides a strong base on which to lay the tales that follow.

The first story is a creation tale told in a combination of poetry, prose, and the traditional Mi’kmaq chants that would be included in an oral telling. The second is called “The Legend of Little Scarface” and is written in more traditional prose, but it still keeps the same lyrical language. I particularly appreciated how the message of this story is provided both at the outset in a brief introduction as well as at the end. The third tale, “Ruddy the Fox and Mouse Bring Summer Forward”, is a shorter story explaining how all the animals worked together to stop the cold. Its message, that even the smallest member of a group carries great importance, is a powerful one.

The illustrations by Laurie Martin are full of colour and interesting details. I can see in them the potential to inspire young readers to illustrate their own versions of these tales or others. The cover art, in particular, is eye-catching and would almost certainly encourage a young reader to choose this book.

Overall, Mi’kmaq Campfire Stories of Prince Edward Island will make an excellent addition to my intermediate school library’s section of Indigenous writers and storytellers.