Grizzly's Home and Other Northwest Coast Children's Stories

Alison Mews is co-ordinator of the Centre for Instructional Services at
Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Inspired by First Nations legends and images, Robert James Challenger
has compiled a 6th collection of original moralistic fables for
children. Using animals to portray human characteristics, Challenger
teaches life skills such as respecting others, sharing, accepting
change, and telling the truth. The short tales, just one or two pages
each, have easy vocabulary and plenty of dialogue. They are more
instructive than entertaining and some are simply bibliotherapy, such as
the one about Mother Quail’s chicks who are missing their father, now
separated from the family. The chicks are assured that Father Quail
still loves them and that they will understand when they grow up. One
tale’s message seems aimed at adults rather than children: Father
Bobcat admonishes Mother Bobcat that she should allow their young bobcat
more freedom, and she readily agrees.

Challenger has illustrated the tales in his signature Haida-like style
with its crisp, clean lines and abundance of white space. Each featured
animal is graphically illustrated in a symbolic circle on that story’s
title page. The reliance on the colours black, white, and red echoes
Native art and its embrace of the animal world to help understand the
human one. Challenger’s use of Native style for his tales does raise
the issue of cultural appropriation, unless there is a connection not
acknowledged in the book. The didactic nature of the stories reduces
their appeal, but they could be used as discussion starters in values
education classes. Not a first-choice purchase.