To illustrations composed of dark silhouettes and color highlights in mostly pale tones placed within large empty spaces, Flett matches 24 (there’s no “q” or “x”) alphabetically arranged single words in an endangered Métis tongue paired to English equivalents. Spoken by only about 1,000 people today, Michif mixes French with Cree and other Native American languages, and its roots are often more evident from the words’ pronunciations than their spelling: Diloo (water), La Niizh (snow), Lii Zyeu (eyes). Though the art has a somber air that isn’t always appropriate—the two girls dancing la jig look like they’re about to break into tears—it does convey images and feeling evocative of the northern climes in which the Métis live. A bear peers from behind a tree at la galet (bannock) as it cools on a stump; a wolf gazes at a bucket collecting sap for li siiroo (syrup). A thorough pronunciation guide and lists of further resources cap what will be, for nearly all children, a horizon-broadening introduction to a distinctive American culture. (introduction) (Picture book. 7-9)
