"The Elders are Watching" /// Children's Picture Book

"The Elders are Watching" by David Bouchard and illustrated by Roy Henry Vickers is an older (2003) but still valuable children's picture book published by Raincoast Books. The author, Bouchard, who is an award winning poet, teamed up with highly regarded artist Roy Vickers to create this timeless message of conservation and recognizing the importance of being considerate of the environment. The story covers serious topics such hunting for sport, destroying forests and over fishing, all under the watchful eye of Elders. It then switches tones and ends on a positive note, asking the reader to do their part to act carefully.

 One of the highlights of this book is that it is set locally - I absolutely loved looking at the illustrations (more like works of art) that depict scenes close to home. There is the Second Narrows bridge, a view of Vancouver, and Coastal scenery. Adults will have no trouble being absorbed in this book, just as children will enjoy listening to the lyrical quartet poetry on each page, accompanied by artwork on the opposite side.

Using the guide set out by Oyate.org it is possible to review this book. Even though author Bouchard may be somewhat of a "cultural outsider" (Oyate, 2015) when it comes to local Aboriginal communities, he makes up for it with his close relationship with First Nations illustrator Vickers, who lives in the Tsartlip Reserve and has Aboriginal ancestry. According to the book jacket, both Vickers and Bouchard have the same goals of reaching out to youngsters and teaching them the importance of being a responsible custodian of the world around us, just as the people who originally inhabited the Coast did. Overall this book is a good choice for a teacher or parent to teach the themes of conservation using traditional Aboriginal perspectives on life.


References:

Bouchard, D., & Vickers, H. R. (Illustrator). (2003). The elders are watching. Vancouver: Raincoast Books.

Oyate.org. (2015). Resources. Retrieved online at http://oyate.org/index.php/resources/42-resources/oyate-s-additional-criteria