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THE TRICKSTER SHADOW

Name: THE TRICKSTER SHADOW
Author: Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley
ISBN: 9780316574518

by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley ; illustrated by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 7, 2025

A moving and imaginative tale to heal tender hearts.

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A shadow helps an Indigenous boy see things differently.

Zoon is constantly trailed by the shadow, a doglike gray trickster creature with an elongated body and limbs who makes messes and teases the boy’s classmates—misbehavior that unfairly lands Zoon in trouble. Frustrated, Zoon turns to Nookomis, his wise grandmother. Playing a drum that once belonged to Zoon’s grandfather, she tells him that the heirloom is “called a dewe’igan, the sound of the heart. Use it when you need help guiding your own.” When Zoon’s accosted by the shadow later, his attempts to calm the creature by banging the drum only anger it, and it grows in size. But when Zoon slows the beat, his spirit dances in the sky. When the boy learns to rely on his inner strength, the shadow transforms into a loving companion. In the backmatter, Pawis-Steckley (Anishinaabe) discusses the trope of the trickster character, someone who makes mischief but often teaches important lessons. His fast-paced story and dramatic art will be immensely captivating to a young audience. The vivid graphic art, embedded with Anishinaabe motifs, intensifies as the adventure progresses; as the shadow looms large, the palette is dominated by moody blues and purples. Why Zoon was visited by the shadow is never made explicitly clear (Pawis-Steckley’s note alludes to “a certain darkness” and “overwhelming sadness” he experienced as a child), but the story offers readers the space to ponder that question for themselves.

A moving and imaginative tale to heal tender hearts. (glossary) (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025

ISBN: 9780316574518

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
STITCHES OF TRADITION (GASHKIGWAASO TRADITION)
by Marcie R. Rendon ; illustrated by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley

- BOOK REVIEW
WHERE WOLVES DON'T DIE
by Anton Treuer ; illustrated by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley

- BOOK REVIEW
BIINDIGEN! AMIK SAYS WELCOME
by Nancy Cooper ; illustrated by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)