The Song Within My Heart

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is the
author of several books, including The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese
Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret Laurence: T

The visual “songs” or paintings in this book are the work of Allen
Sapp, a Cree elder from Saskatchewan, a member of the Canadian Academy
of Arts, and an Officer of the Order of Canada. Sapp’s paintings have
been exhibited across North America and the United Kingdom and have won
many awards. In 1996, when UNICEF was celebrating its 50th anniversary,
three were used for their Christmas cards.

In The Song Within My Heart, a young First Nations boy is preparing for
his first powwow. Grandmother, his beloved Nokum, guides the boy through
the day’s events, helping him to understand what the dancing means.
Sapp’s colorful, highly detailed narrative art forms a perfect partner
for David Bouchard’s poetic and reflective text, which is set off like
poetry opposite the full-page paintings. Bouchard, the author of more
than 20 illustrated books for children, also grew up in rural
Saskatchewan, but now lives in Victoria.

In a closing note, Sapp describes powwows as a time to renew body and
soul, “a time for young and old to get together in friendship and
happiness.” It is also a time to show respect for the good earth and
to thank Manitou for Earth’s bounty.

The Song Within My Heart is a beautiful book for all ages, a prayer of
thankfulness, and a celebration of a vibrant Native culture. Highly
recommended.