The Secret Pocket

The Secret Pocket is an important, sometimes difficult true story of residential school history written by Peggy Janicki and illustrated by Carrielynn Victor. The narrator begins her tale by describing the peaceful, idyllic life she lived as a child – there was a “beautiful smokehouse next to [their] lake, where meat and fish were smoked and dried for winter. There was also a special rack for berries and maitlus.” (p. 2) Utsoo, the grandmother, was kind and patient. She made the narrator “feel loved”. (p. 4) This ideal life did not go on forever, though. In time, priests came to take the children to a residential school where there was harm and suffering. The children were “always hungry and cold” and “cried because [their] stomach[s] hurt from not having enough food.” (p. 9) The only thing to look forward to was “’Uba’s horses and sleigh [coming] into view” to pick them up to go home (p. 19), but, in the meantime, the children at the school sewed pockets into their dresses to hide the stolen food to sustain themselves (p. 25), giving them hope in hard days.

Victor’s illustrations are subdued yet detailed, a perfect addition to this somber tale. The visual perspectives are those of a child, and the audience is taken into the narrator’s experience. Both sadness and joy are accessible within the illustrations and partner perfectly with the prose.

Peggy Janicki’s The Secret Pocket is an important addition to any bookshelf. Though best suited for older children, it is a wonderful story for mature youngsters to engage with to begin talking about the history of residential schools and the injustices done against Indigenous peoples. Janicki’s story and Victor’s illustrations introduce and/or educate on a topic that is sensitive yet important. In addition to this, the first page of the book goes into detail about Janicki’s history as an Indigenous storyteller and her authority to speak, write, and story-tell on this topic.