Mawkiljemk Mi'kmawiktuk = Counting in Mi'kmaw

As the title indicates, this board book is a bilingual counting book that deals with the numbers from 1-10. Each pair of facing pages deals with a single number, with the left page containing the number, itself, and the word for that number, first in Mi'kmaw and then in English. The right-hand page contains one of Gould’s colourful acrylic illustrations and the brief text, again first in Mi'kmaw followed by the English translation, which indicates what it is that the young reader/listener is to count.

Gould, a self-taught artist from the Waycobah First Nation located on Cape Breton Island, draws inspiration from her cultural background in creating both the content and style of her artwork. With one exception, what the children are to count is quite clearly portrayed. For example, in the illustration for “3 Si’st Three”, where the text reads, “Nme’jk pi’tawita’jik / Fish swimming up the stream”, the appropriate number of fish can be easily seen and counted. The exception is found in the illustration for “5 Na’n Five”, with the text reading “Wajui-sqaliet kmu’j / Leafy branches on the tree.” While there are five branches extending from the tree’s trunk, each of these branches is divided into two or three thick “twigs”, a detail that could leave some youngsters unsure about what it is that they are to count. Though an incorrect illustration detail likely won’t be of any concern to this board book’s intended young audience, adult readers will recognize that the nest portrayed in the bee painting connected with “10 Newtiska’q Ten” is actually a wasps’ nest. Many of Gould’s paintings are quite detailed, and re-readings would allow adults to generate questions about some of the illustrations’ details. For instance, the illustration connected with “8 Ukumuljin Eight” is of eight flower beadings, and children could be asked to count how many flowers are purple, blue or red or to count how many petals each flower has.

Mawkiljemk Mi'kmawiktuk = Counting in Mi'kmaw should not be seen as just a purchase in those areas where Mi'kmaw is spoken. It is a fine beginning counting book, and its illustrations are excellent and offer youngsters an introduction to an Indigenous style of illustrating. A pronunciation guide to the Mi'kmaw words, however, would have been a useful addition.