Rainbow Crow: Nagweyaabi-Aandeg

by David Bouchard, David Jean

Before two leggeds walked on Mother Earth there was a great cold. The animals formed a council; someone had to seek help from the Creator. Rainbow Crow, a most colorful bird, was selected because he had a beautiful voice that would surely impress the Creator. He flew into the heavens and won fire from above. But on the way back the fire began to burn his plumage black and destroy his beautiful voice. But Rainbow Crow persevered, bringing the life-saving fire safely back to his friends. This Lenape legend of courage and sacrifice is masterfully retold by award-winning author David Bouchard. The stunning art, painted on traditional drums by celebrated Canadian artist, David Jean, will inspire young and old alike. On Resource Links' Best of 2013 list 2015 Golden Oak nominee Order of Canada recipient and multi-award-winning Metis bestselling author David Bouchard teams up on this occasion with Cherokee master artist David Jean and the world renowned drummers and singers Manatial in this beautiful rendition of Rainbow Crow. Accompanied by a CD, Rainbow Crow will capture the hearts of readers of all ages.

Genres: Picture Books, Canada

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 28, 2012

About the author

Canadian Métis author and literacy advocate David Bouchard has produced more than fifty books for readers of all ages, including two guides on reading for parents and educators.

An erstwhile teacher and school principal, he is particularly concerned with Aboriginal-related issues and is a sought-after speaker for conference keynotes and school presentations and on topics of reading, literacy and aboriginal well-being.

David Bouchard's books have won numerous awards, including a Special Mention for Non-Fiction in the 2010 Bologna Ragazzi Awards for The Drum Calls Softly, a Gold Medal in the 2008 Moonbeam Award for I am Raven, the 2004 Governor General's Award for The Song Within My Heart, the 1999 Red Cedar Award for The Great Race and the 1997 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award for Voices from the Wild. An Aboriginal Carol was included in the 2008 White Ravens Catalogue.

In April 2009, Bouchard was named as a Member of the Order of Canada "for his contributions as an author of children’s books and an advocate who has championed the cause of reading and writing, and who has shared his pride as a member of the Métis community through his stories."

David lives in Victoria, British Columbia, with his wife Vicki and their daughter Victoria.

-taken from the author's website

Reviews

[Ashley Newell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great preservation of one of the First languages.

[Whole And · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rainbow Crow is a story of sacrifice invoking a deep awareness and appreciation for a willingness to live, the powerful forces of nature and for the assistance creator provides. Rainbow crow sacrifices his colours and beautiful voice to save everyone with the gift of fire.

A CD is included for the audio experience, in English and Ojibwe.
Very well done.

Although meaningful, this story can bring up feelings of sadness for little people, it's important to 'know your audience' before sharing.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rainbow Crow is a beautiful story. It has beautiful illustrations. It is comforting, content, and just a little sad. With the details on storytelling (and story-hearing) protocol, it makes for the ideal read-aloud picture book. The dual language aspect is wonderful. The accompanying CD (featuring Ojibwe, English, and French readings, plus music) was incredibly helpful, especially for the Ojibwe portions. The music that came with it was beautiful.

I definitely recommend this for all ages, whether you're reading it yourself or allowing the disc to read it to you.

[Jennybeast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Traditional tale presented in both english and Ojibwa, with a cd and a section at the front that talks about appropriate protocol for telling the story. A sense of quiet and respect permeates the story, and I appreciate that.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the illustrations in this book. They're not cutesy at all, but gorgeous to look at. This book is written in English and Ojibwe.

[typewriterdeluxe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this story is bilingual! I think it would fit better with kids who are older than the typical picture book crowd because it's pretty word-dense.