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Forging a space for dialogue and negotiation in modern picture books by Melanie Florence

Forging a space for dialogue and negotiation in modern picture books by Melanie Florence AbstractCanadian children’s literature has a relatively short history, which is not surprising because Canadian literature itself is a recent and problematic category, struggling for a definition and identity of its own. The lack of national homogeneity is reflected in both CanLit and its counterpart for children, and rather than being a weakness, the multitude of voices that inhabit the Canadian territory has become its essence and strength. Lately, we have noticed a growing interest and market demand for picture books by Indigenous voices. Melanie Florence is one such voice, and she honours her past by bringing to the fore the inescapable dark weight of collective tragedies such as the residential school system and the disappearance and murder of Aboriginal women and girls, a hidden national crisis. In this article, we aim at getting to know and help readers discover Missing Nimâmâ and Stolen Words by this new picture book writer, who is speaking up and voicing First Nations’ concerns, bringing back memories, but also forging a space for dialogue and negotiation, a space where text and illustration are combined and provide a harmonious whole. In this space, difference and binarisms do not result in dualism, but in highly synergistic relationships. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Ars Aeterna de Gruyter

Forging a space for dialogue and negotiation in modern picture books by Melanie Florence

Amante, Susana
Ars Aeterna , Volume 14 (2): 15 – Dec 1, 2022
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Publisher
de Gruyter
Copyright
© 2022 Susana Amante, published by Sciendo
eISSN
2450-8497
DOI
10.2478/aa-2022-0009
Publisher site
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Abstract

AbstractCanadian children’s literature has a relatively short history, which is not surprising because Canadian literature itself is a recent and problematic category, struggling for a definition and identity of its own. The lack of national homogeneity is reflected in both CanLit and its counterpart for children, and rather than being a weakness, the multitude of voices that inhabit the Canadian territory has become its essence and strength. Lately, we have noticed a growing interest and market demand for picture books by Indigenous voices. Melanie Florence is one such voice, and she honours her past by bringing to the fore the inescapable dark weight of collective tragedies such as the residential school system and the disappearance and murder of Aboriginal women and girls, a hidden national crisis. In this article, we aim at getting to know and help readers discover Missing Nimâmâ and Stolen Words by this new picture book writer, who is speaking up and voicing First Nations’ concerns, bringing back memories, but also forging a space for dialogue and negotiation, a space where text and illustration are combined and provide a harmonious whole. In this space, difference and binarisms do not result in dualism, but in highly synergistic relationships.

Journal

Ars Aeterna – de Gruyter

Published: Dec 1, 2022

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