What to Bring

Malia’s family is enjoying a summer afternoon in their yard. Mama is picking beans, Jackson, Malia’s little brother, is happily playing on a blanket with Chester the dog sleeping beside him, while Malia scoops sand into a bucket in the sandbox. Rooney’s warm and textured illustrations bring to life an arid landscape made colourful by a red treehouse, flowers and the vegetables growing in the raised garden bed. The peaceful scene is contrasted by a billowing cloud of smoke cresting over the hills in the distance and Mama exclaiming, “That’s smoke!”

The narrative continues to unfold through Malia’s perspective, Schultz Nicholson capturing the uncertainty, confusion and fear that come with emergency evacuation. Malia struggles to choose a few small, important items to bring with her as her family hurriedly packs essentials into the car. How can she pick between her books, blankets and teddies? In a thought that will resonate with readers both young and old, Malia wonders while holding her stuffed animals, “If she brings only Turtle, Rabbit will be sad.” As the family drives away from their neighbourhood towards safety at Grandpa’s house, the book closes with Malia’s feeling reassured that, as long as her family is together, she has everything important she could possibly need.

Written and illustrated by two women who have experienced the local threat of wildfire in the Okanagan Valley, What to Bring is an effective and timely story about love, family and community during our age of climate crisis.