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Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox
In this introduction to the Anishinaabe tradition of totem animals, young children explain why they identify with different creatures such as a deer, beaver, or moose. Delightful illustrations show the children wearing masks representing their chosen animal, while the few lines of text on each page work as a series of simple poems throughout the book. In a brief author’s note, Danielle Daniel explains the importance of totem animals in Anishinaabe culture and how they can also act as animal guides for young children seeking to understand themselves and others.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
October 11, 2018
Dedicated to all the Indigenous and Metis people that grew up not knowing their totem animal, Danielle Daniel 's illustrated children's book takes readers through several different animals. There is some significant information at the back of the book.I felt that the vocabulary was suitable for grade 2-4 and the pictures were large and colorful.
April 29, 2019
Most kids’ books about feelings get it wrong. They tell kids what a feeling is by telling them when to feel it. Fear is what you feel at night when you’re alone in your room. Sadness is what you feel when your ice cream falls on the floor. In an effort to make feelings comprehensible, they deny the subjective nature of feelings and the fact that we all feel many things at once.
Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox is a very different kind of book about feelings. Daniel, who is Metis, draws inspiration from the Anishinaabe tradition of totem animals, and offers twelve painted portraits of kids as animals, each with an accompanying text describing what they feel like when they feel like fox, bear, rabbit, and more.
What I love about this approach is the room it leaves for kids and adults to talk about how we all hold many (sometimes contradictory) feelings at once, and how our feelings can shape how we experience ourselves in the world. I also love the way the book is, incidentally, very queer. I can’t think of another book that isn’t explicitly about gender, where we meet so many characters and never once are told their gender. It’s not a gender-neutral book, it’s a book that reflects another way gender exists in the world, beyond the binary and beyond Western norms.
I use this book with kids to talk about gender, even though it’s in no obvious way a book about gender.
Using this book with groups when you’re white and a settler requires some work. I don’t think it’s appropriate for settlers to teach children Indigenous traditions. Not only because we rarely know enough about them, but because the history of colonialism and the genocide (including cultural genocide) means that it is always settlers talking about, and for, Indigenous people. Settlers have a role to play, especially when it comes to educating other settlers and our children about the history of colonial violence the west was built on, but when we forget or leave out the ways we are implicated in that violence we are reproducing it.
Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox is a very different kind of book about feelings. Daniel, who is Metis, draws inspiration from the Anishinaabe tradition of totem animals, and offers twelve painted portraits of kids as animals, each with an accompanying text describing what they feel like when they feel like fox, bear, rabbit, and more.
What I love about this approach is the room it leaves for kids and adults to talk about how we all hold many (sometimes contradictory) feelings at once, and how our feelings can shape how we experience ourselves in the world. I also love the way the book is, incidentally, very queer. I can’t think of another book that isn’t explicitly about gender, where we meet so many characters and never once are told their gender. It’s not a gender-neutral book, it’s a book that reflects another way gender exists in the world, beyond the binary and beyond Western norms.
I use this book with kids to talk about gender, even though it’s in no obvious way a book about gender.
Using this book with groups when you’re white and a settler requires some work. I don’t think it’s appropriate for settlers to teach children Indigenous traditions. Not only because we rarely know enough about them, but because the history of colonialism and the genocide (including cultural genocide) means that it is always settlers talking about, and for, Indigenous people. Settlers have a role to play, especially when it comes to educating other settlers and our children about the history of colonial violence the west was built on, but when we forget or leave out the ways we are implicated in that violence we are reproducing it.
November 16, 2023
I bought this lovely book for my best pal's first Grand-Baby. It's a gorgeous book, with stunning artwork inside, with every page about Canadian wildlife (sometimes I feel like "a Moose"... sometimes I feel like "a Beaver", etc). The author also wrote Sometimes I Feel Like a River, with every page about Canadian Nature. The series is absolutely beautiful! Kids' books are pretty short, so while browsing for the book I'd eventually take to the shower, I was able to sample several books (including my favourite: The Tragically Hip ABC! If you're a Hip fan, check it out - it's fantastic! Of course, you'll need a little one to give you an excuse to buy it.🤭)
December 20, 2015
I do not often write book reviews on Goodreads, but this book was so beautiful -- both in writing and in illustration -- that I had to remark upon it. Stunning.
March 27, 2017
For my son Harry, who loves animals, there was an immediate attraction to this book. I worked with him on how to pretend to be each animal and act out something in each description. For the above example, he flaps his arms to fly like the owl, puts his hand against his brow and pretends to look in the distance for "watching," and cups his ear for "listening." His pretending may be scripted and rigid, but I think these are the kinds of scripts he needs to learn to be more socially imaginative.
My son Luke enjoys naming the animals on each page. The repetition of "Sometimes I feel like a..." lets him know exactly when to fill in each animal name.
I am aware that this book isn't universally loved by First Nations (as they are called in Canada) and American Indian reviewers because it takes liberties in presenting totems as fluid identities that can be adopted at will rather than as rigidly inherited within clans and families. As a non-aboriginal person, I want to acknowledge that these disagreements exist, but I don't pretend to know enough to judge.
The way Daniel presents the totem animals of the Anishinaabe may not be strictly traditional, but it achieves a social-emotional end that is welcome in a picture book for children. Self-regulation and developing models of language to describe how you are feeling is a very big deal for kids on the spectrum—and many also obsess over animals, like my son Harry. When Harry is running around, but not being careful about where his body is crashing and landing, I can say, "Harry! Be a moose." The moose in Daniel's poem is awkward, but graceful and gentle, and when he hears this, Harry puts his thumbs up to his head to make antlers and, with deliberate gentleness, lumbers on.
****
I review books for children from the perspective of a parent of kids with autism. The review above is from a longer blog post about books that are good for introducing race and ethnicity to kids with autism: http://www.lineupthebooks.com/10-book...
My son Luke enjoys naming the animals on each page. The repetition of "Sometimes I feel like a..." lets him know exactly when to fill in each animal name.
I am aware that this book isn't universally loved by First Nations (as they are called in Canada) and American Indian reviewers because it takes liberties in presenting totems as fluid identities that can be adopted at will rather than as rigidly inherited within clans and families. As a non-aboriginal person, I want to acknowledge that these disagreements exist, but I don't pretend to know enough to judge.
The way Daniel presents the totem animals of the Anishinaabe may not be strictly traditional, but it achieves a social-emotional end that is welcome in a picture book for children. Self-regulation and developing models of language to describe how you are feeling is a very big deal for kids on the spectrum—and many also obsess over animals, like my son Harry. When Harry is running around, but not being careful about where his body is crashing and landing, I can say, "Harry! Be a moose." The moose in Daniel's poem is awkward, but graceful and gentle, and when he hears this, Harry puts his thumbs up to his head to make antlers and, with deliberate gentleness, lumbers on.
****
I review books for children from the perspective of a parent of kids with autism. The review above is from a longer blog post about books that are good for introducing race and ethnicity to kids with autism: http://www.lineupthebooks.com/10-book...
Read
June 8, 2017Introduction: This book is written by Danielle Daniel and is part of the Anishinaabe tribe. This tribe has an important tradition. Let’s look at the note she wrote to explain this tradition. (Read Author’s Note). The children compare themselves to animals using the phrase ‘Sometimes I feel like a…’ When two things are compared using the word like or as it is a simile. Look at the cover. Why do you think this girl says ‘Sometimes I feel like a Fox’? Listen to the similes to find out how each child feels. I will read the simile, be ready to tell me why you think the each child picked that animal to describe themselves.
Opening Moves Used: Provide important background information. Draw attention to the language of the text. Prompt predictions based on the title.
Rationale: This book is a great introduction to figurative language and why authors might use figurative language in their writing. Specifically, this book gives clear examples of similes and the reasoning behind each one. This is great for introducing younger students like third graders to using similes as it gives them very concrete and interesting examples to draw from. It also exposes students to different traditions that people may have based on their families.
Opening moves are from:
Pinnell, G. S., & Fountas, I. C. (2006). Engaging readers in thinking and talking about texts through interactive read aloud. Teaching for comprehending and fluency: Thinking, talking, and writing about reading, k-8. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishing.
Opening Moves Used: Provide important background information. Draw attention to the language of the text. Prompt predictions based on the title.
Rationale: This book is a great introduction to figurative language and why authors might use figurative language in their writing. Specifically, this book gives clear examples of similes and the reasoning behind each one. This is great for introducing younger students like third graders to using similes as it gives them very concrete and interesting examples to draw from. It also exposes students to different traditions that people may have based on their families.
Opening moves are from:
Pinnell, G. S., & Fountas, I. C. (2006). Engaging readers in thinking and talking about texts through interactive read aloud. Teaching for comprehending and fluency: Thinking, talking, and writing about reading, k-8. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishing.
December 27, 2017
What animal on this Earth do you connect with? Why? Danielle Daniel guides children to answer this question and explains the cultural tradition of the Anishinaabe totem animal in this beautifully illustrated book. Wearing crafted masks, we hear children explain why they identify with awesome creatures such as a deer, a butterfly or a wolf -- a quiz that can be related to by children both inside and outside of the Aboriginal sphere.
The book, along with the illustrations is poetry, starting with "Sometimes I feel like a bear, strong and confidant. I stand tall and growl and protect those around me." Not only does it introduce a tradition to children, but it also encourages them to look inside themselves, identify with positive/negative emotions, and perhaps slowly realize that on any given day, we can feel like a raven, a rabbit or a fox.
While powerful, Daniel remains subtle in her aboriginal education, leaving a helpful author's note on the totem tradition, the Anishinaabe tribe and a brief history. She even implies the loss of a culture through a short dedication "to thousands of Metis and Aboriginal children who grew up never knowing their totem animal."
Can you imagine the conversation? Check what mine was like here: https://readingcultr.wordpress.com/20...
The book, along with the illustrations is poetry, starting with "Sometimes I feel like a bear, strong and confidant. I stand tall and growl and protect those around me." Not only does it introduce a tradition to children, but it also encourages them to look inside themselves, identify with positive/negative emotions, and perhaps slowly realize that on any given day, we can feel like a raven, a rabbit or a fox.
While powerful, Daniel remains subtle in her aboriginal education, leaving a helpful author's note on the totem tradition, the Anishinaabe tribe and a brief history. She even implies the loss of a culture through a short dedication "to thousands of Metis and Aboriginal children who grew up never knowing their totem animal."
Can you imagine the conversation? Check what mine was like here: https://readingcultr.wordpress.com/20...
August 29, 2017
The illustrations in this book are truly gorgeous. Danielle Daniel, is Metis, but was raised without connection to her culture. She wrote this book for her son to help him connect with his Anishinaabe roots. It shows paintings of children in different animal masks that reference different animal totems. An author's note at the end tells us more about the significance of these totems. I was a bit confused because it seemed in the book that children were choosing their own totem, while in the Anishinaabe culture, it is a clan you are born into.
I was also distressed to see an online activity for children to 'play' at having a totem. I am truly uncomfortable by this because it feels disrespectful to the actual culture.
I was also distressed to see an online activity for children to 'play' at having a totem. I am truly uncomfortable by this because it feels disrespectful to the actual culture.
July 25, 2018
Beautiful illustrations with sweet descriptive poems.
June 9, 2016
Danielle Daniel has created a lyrical, enchanting introduction to Anishinaabe totem animals. Each page of text begins with, "Sometimes I feel like a fox" or each of a dozen animals, followed by a brief explanation of what that totem animal represents.
The beautifully designed and illustrated book, by one of Canada's finest children's book publishers (Groundwood Books) deserves a place on every child's shelf. Not only does it introduce children to the concept of totem animals, specifically those of the Anishinaabe, but it also encourages them to see the world around them with different eyes. Growing up honouring the spirits of the animals and plants we encounter may help make us understand our responsibility to safeguard them.
The beautifully designed and illustrated book, by one of Canada's finest children's book publishers (Groundwood Books) deserves a place on every child's shelf. Not only does it introduce children to the concept of totem animals, specifically those of the Anishinaabe, but it also encourages them to see the world around them with different eyes. Growing up honouring the spirits of the animals and plants we encounter may help make us understand our responsibility to safeguard them.
January 16, 2016
A sweet, beautiful introduction to the Anishinaabe tradition on totem animals.
September 14, 2020
I picked this up on a whim and am so grateful I did. The illustrations are delicate and playful. The vocabulary is complex for small children but can invite opportunities for adults to connect children with that language. The description of the totem system and how knowledge of it within the community was damaged by residential schools is clear and offers a great gateway into those discussions with kiddos.
January 16, 2021
Pretty significant risk of non-indigenous readers culturally appropriating totems based on the book. I expected a note about this at the end but there was nothing. As others people have said it does nothing to stop kids from “playing Indian”.
Otherwise I loved it. Beautiful art and great for kids to think about changing feeling states.
Otherwise I loved it. Beautiful art and great for kids to think about changing feeling states.
February 10, 2022
*read for ENGL 249 at Concordia University
August 27, 2016
So what I didn't like about this one the FIRST time I read it is that it's about all these OTHER animals and there I just thought it'd be about FOXES. Right?
But then I read it again and I figured out what this guy was up to. It's that this girl feels like a fox sometimes, and a bear sometimes, and a moose and a turtle and a porcupine and all these other animals sometimes, too. It all depends on her mood. So I get that.
But it probably would've been better if they just called it "Sometimes I Feel Like A Lot Of Different Animals." Because I thought that this one was JUST about foxes and I kept waiting for the fox, but he wasn't even till the very last page! And if you really like foxes like I do, that might really BUG you.
But this is still a good one, even if they gave it the wrong name. You just need to make sure you read it twice so you get it.
But then I read it again and I figured out what this guy was up to. It's that this girl feels like a fox sometimes, and a bear sometimes, and a moose and a turtle and a porcupine and all these other animals sometimes, too. It all depends on her mood. So I get that.
But it probably would've been better if they just called it "Sometimes I Feel Like A Lot Of Different Animals." Because I thought that this one was JUST about foxes and I kept waiting for the fox, but he wasn't even till the very last page! And if you really like foxes like I do, that might really BUG you.
But this is still a good one, even if they gave it the wrong name. You just need to make sure you read it twice so you get it.
June 9, 2015
In this small book from Canada, twelve different animals including a bear, a turtle, and a fox serve as totems to represent how twelve different individuals feel. For instance, one relates to a raven--"both messenger and secret keeper" (unpaged). The lovely illustrations complement this short introduction to the Anishinaabe tradition in which individuals are associated with a certain animal clan. I like this gentle reminder of how there are elements of all these animals within each of us, but we may tend to gravitate toward a certain type of animal or behavior. Each totem is described through four lines.
August 7, 2016
I can't say enough wonderful things about this book. Besides the illustrations being absolutely stunning, each one its own little work of art, the story is a sweet and powerful introduction to totem animals as it explains to young children how each person has an animal in his soul, accounting for certain desires or behaviors. Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox showed my little girl that, on any given day, she can feel the spirt of many animals--some days she is innocent and curious like a porcupine, while other days she is dark and mysterious like a raven. We read it almost nightly!
September 19, 2016
With beautiful artwork and spare, simple poetry, this book introduces the reader to animal totems (or doodems) from the Anishinaabe people. I could see myself using this book in a storytime about animals, a storytime about emotions, or even an "all about me" storytime. A brief author's note at the end provides useful cultural information.
November 10, 2016
This beautiful book weaves together personal associations with various totems (animals that represent different family groups in indigenous cultures) accompanied by stunning illustrations of children mingling with representations of their chosen totem. Lyrical and eye-opening, I only wish there were more pages and pictures.
November 29, 2016
This was the winning book of the year in our region. I went to a workshop and the presenter had been a judge on the panel. He had permission to share the book with us. All of us can be many different things, with our different moods and no one mood or type is good or bad, they just are... and each of us can be all of them.
Ties in to Aboriginal content as well.
Ties in to Aboriginal content as well.
January 28, 2016
An excellent book for all kids, lovely watercolour illustrations and a unique concept (helping First Nations kids identify with their totem animal, although I think all kids can relate, regardless if their heritage).
April 30, 2017
loved this book! So good to see more childrens books written from First Nations perspectives. Great way to explore different animals and emotions/characteristics.
Faris had just read it in class and enjoyed it.
Faris had just read it in class and enjoyed it.
June 1, 2017
Read this while following the Chickadee Loop at Lake Laurentian Conservatory Area trail. Beautiful story describing the totem animals' characteristics thats easy to follow even when following the short trail.
August 26, 2015
A beautiful collection of "totem animals" with thoughtful descriptions. Not your usual picture book, really lovely...a work of art.
December 31, 2015
The art is cool, but also kind of creepy.
December 13, 2015
A sweet introduction to spirit animals. Mine is a moose.
April 27, 2016
I always feel like an animal
June 12, 2016
This is a lovely picture book that might be a good starting point for research or discussion about totems.
October 4, 2016
This is an excellent way to introduce children (and adults!) to totem animals, and to what they represent.
December 24, 2016
I came across this book seeking out children's books by Indigenous authors. The artwork is bright and fun and the totem animals as they relate to us are sweet and inspirational.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews