Francois Thisdale
Francois Thisdale is an award-winning illustrator, as well as author, and music composer living in Carnigan, on the south shore of Montreal with his wife and daughter.
Francois intricately combines drawing and digital images to create captivating pieces of art that have been featured in five distinct children’s books including his own, Nini, Jennifer Lanthier’s The Stamp Collector, and the prospective release, That Squeak (by Carolyn Beck).
Teen Books (1)
Synopsis:
A beautiful, transcendent story of a mother-daughter connection that persists through tragedy and across time.
Kateri is a young Cree girl, growing up in the care of her grandmother. We see her reaching important milestones: her first day of school, first dance, first date, wedding, first child. Her mother is absent, but not gone, watching her child growing up without her.
Told in alternating voices of child and mother, Missing Nimâmâ is a story of love, loss, and acceptance, showing the human side of a national tragedy. Dreamlike illustrations by François Thisdale enrich Kateri’s emotional journey. An afterword by the author provides a simple, age-appropriate context for young readers. Includes Cree words and glossary.
Reviews
"A free-verse intergenerational story of separation, loss, and daughter-mother connection amid the ongoing crisis of missing First Nations girls and women. . . On each page, Cree author Florence presents two narratives: Kateri's and her missing nimâmâ's. By juxtaposing the daughter's and mother's thoughts and feelings in complementary verse, Florence provides them the opportunity to experience life together from their respective points of view and to talk to each other from a distance. Thisdale's soft-edged, wistful artwork enriches the heartfelt story, strongly capturing the passage of time and Kateri's emotional journey. An afterword is appended, offering simple and relevant information as well as statistics of missing and murdered indigenous girls and women; together with the story, it should help to begin a conversation with young readers. A solid debut picture book that works as a record of voices that are usually unheard, ignored, and forgotten." — Kirkus Reviews
"A touching story related from the point of view of a missing indigenous woman as she watches her daughter grow up without her."— Quill and Quire
Awards
- TD Canadian Children's Literature Award Winner
Educator Information
This is a picture book best suited for more mature readers, as it deals with mature themes and subject matter. It's best used for a read-aloud due to its subject matter and theme of loss. This book is not recommended as an independent read for younger ages.
Additional Information
32 pages | 8.50" x 11.00"
Kids Books (1)
Synopsis:
Will and Tom speak in a whisper.
"Uncle, tell us the story of the Windigo."
The boys look behind them for something they can't see.
When Uncle shares the story of the Windigo, the cousins get more than they expect. That night something strange scratches at the frost on their bedroom window. In the morning they find huge tracks in the snow. The Wandering Night Spirit of Winter!
Tom and Will know what good Trackers would do, so they follow the trail deep into the forest. Then a strange cry slices the air.
"Remember," Will whispers as they move forward. "Don't look into its eyes."
Can you be a tracker too? Find the tracks hidden in the pictures.
Reviews
"Gorgeous illustrations and suspenseful writing fully engross the reader and have my kids sitting on the edge of their seats every time. This emotional engagement makes it a perfect read for discussing the concept of bravery, while the story's details provide wonderful cultural education. And as a fun bonus, the endpapers show different animal tracks that you can spot throughout the book - just like good Trackers!"— Read. Learn. Repeat. Blog
"Richly illustrated in mixed media, Waboose weaves a story of respect for nature and family. The boy's insistence of their bravery is countered by their natural fear of the unknown — and the stories they have heard. A great read for a stormy winter night. Beware of the Windigo!"— kissthebookjr.blogspot.com
"Anishinaabe Waboose's prose seamlessly threads her people's legends with her story of a modern First Nations family that is keeping its traditions alive. Award-winning illustrator Thisdale's expressive and detailed illustrations add depth to Waboose's engaging text. His mixed-media paintings successfully blend the traditional and the modern, the comfortably familiar and the uncanny, to support the story's themes. An intergenerational tale that celebrates both a specific tradition and the universal curiosity of children."— Kirkus Starred Review
Educator Information
Recommended in the Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools 2019-2020 resource list as being useful for grades K-4 for English Language Arts.
Young readers will be able to improve their tracking skills as they find clues hidden in the illustrations along with Will and Tom.
Additional Information
32 pages | 8.50" x 11.00" | Paperback
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