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HOT OFF THE PRESS!
Awards and Reviews for Majagalee: The Language of Seasons by Shawna Davis, with Photography by Toonasa Jordana Luggi:
“Majagalee is an elevated concept book. It introduces readers to the seasons, the plants and animals of the Northwest Coast, Sim Algyax, Indigenous art, and the importance of all these things to Gitksan culture…. Majagalee is a complex and brilliantly constructed book.” —Quill & Quire, starred review
“This is a unique picturebook. An almost tactile experience that explores the four seasons on the northwest coast through Davis’s Gitksan and Nisga’a heritage. —EAT Magazine
“[Majagalee] is more than just a book – it is a work of art in all possible ways. The text was both lovely and poetic, and the artwork is absolutely stunning. This book is a triumph!”
—Colette Poitras, Métis Librarian and Chair of the From Sea to Sea to Sea: Best Indigenous Picture Book Collection (2nd and 3rd editions)
“The artist tells us she is the granddaughter of a residential prison survivor and yet we are left with the smell of her grandmother’s baking, recipes that are never forgotten, her heritage affirmed in primal responses. That is sentient information planted in the unconscious minds that survive every cruelty.
“Even in silence
stories are told.”
—Linda Rogers for The British Columbia Review
The Journey Forward, Novellas on Reconciliation: When We Play Our Drums, They Sing! by Richard Van Camp
The Journey Forward, Novellas on Reconciliation: Lucy & Lola by Monique Gray Smith (Both titles are bound together in a “flipbook” format.)
Awards and Reviews for The Journey Forward, Novellas on Reconciliation:
The Journey Forward has been selected as an American Indians In Children’s Literature (AICL) Best Book of 2018!
The Journey Forward has been selected as a 2018 CODE Burt Award Honour Book for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Young Adult Literature!
Congratulations to Richard Van Camp for winning the 2018 NorthWords Book Award for When We Play Our Drums, They Sing!Reviews of The Journey Forward, Novellas on Reconciliation:
“Van Camp and Smith and their many books demonstrate the resilience of the people in their families–and the resilience of Indigenous peoples. Both stories are about modern-day kids, their families, and their communities. In them, you’ll find pain, but you’ll also find beauty in the characters and the writing, too.
I highly recommend When We Play Our Drums, They Sing and Lucy & Lola.”
—Debbie Reese, American Indians in Children’s Literature (AICL)
“Richard Van Camp and Monique Grey Smith are true gifts: brilliant, charismatic, wise, and generous. These traits come through in their new novellas. Both When We Play Our Drums, They Sing! and Lucy and Lola show readers the way of reconciliation. How do we fully acknowledge the truth of our past and find a way forward? This process of acknowledgement, education, change, and positive movement into the future is the most important work of our times. I believe art will serve as a guide, and Richard Van Camp and Monique Grey Smith lead the way in this book.
I would love to see these novellas in every classroom.”
—Angie Abdou, Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Athabasca University
“Such a brilliant book — as is [Monique Gray Smith’s] on the other side. Two novellas in one volume, and both so, so good. Our world is a better place because of their awesomeness!” —Daniel Heath Justice
“The message here is about healing and understanding…. Readers will come away from The Journey Forward with a better understanding of the challenges of reconciliation, not only between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people but within Indigenous communities themselves.” —Quill & Quire
“This story took me on a journey home. Your Athapaskan language is so similar to my own. The voices so familiar, the humour rippling through my body and dancing on my heart. Educators need to read this #Truth. Your words, language, and stories are #Reconciliation. Mesiy Cho!”—Leona Prince, Fireweed Canada
“Enjoyed both stories so much! Already have a list of people to purchase for! Laughed out loud, did some crying, and felt ‘throom’ in the heart. Kukstemc for bringing these stories to life.” —Kris Archie, The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada
2) Our ve
ry own Go Away, Unicorn! by author/illustrator Emily Mullock, is being made into an animated series by Sonar, and will be airing in Fall 2018 on the Disney Channel and Corus in Canada, and multiple territories around the world, which is awesome! Check out the Sonar media release!
Please also have a look at the article in the Hollywood Reporter!
“…[T]his book is the total package. A great story with outstanding illustrations make this a wonderful addition to any…library. I also must note how beautifully designed the book itself it. The printing and binding are exemplary and the unicorn even has sparkling glitter on the cover. All in all, a gorgeous book….” —BookDads.
KIND WORDS ABOUT McKELLAR & MARTIN:
1) McKellar & Martin has been deemed a CBC Cultural Secret! Click here for the interview.
“McKellar & Martin…has such interesting and different titles; their books are wildly appealing, both in content and visually. They are a BC independent publishing group to watch, as I haven’t seen books like they put out anywhere else….” —Word of Mouse Book Reviews
2) From Quill & Quire: “Canada’s Newest Children’s Publisher Debuts in Vancouver“
3) …and from The Canadian Children’s Book Centre: “New Children’s Book Publisher in Vancouver“
BOOK REVIEWS:
1) Lovely words about Taan’s Moons: A Haida Moon Story by Alison Gear, illustrated by Kiki van der Heiden with the Children of Haida Gwaii
“This amazing story is a fine example of authentic Allies & representing Aboriginal knowledge. This book…is an amazing collaboration of children, Elders, community leaders, local artists, and educators. This beautifully crafted book is a wonder to read.” —Leona Prince, Fireweed Canada
“…absolutely gorgeous…” —Gloria Marcarenko, Host, CBC’s BC Almanac
“This really is a wonderful book that will surely be a BC classic. It’s published by the small New Westminster publisher McKellar & Martin who have aptly demonstrated that small publishers can put together stunning books. Congrats to all who were involved.”
—Mark Tworow, Speedee Interior Stationery and Books
2) Great reviews of Timbertown Tales: Chester Gets a Pet! by Judson Beaumont with Joanna Karplis, illustrated by Breanna Cheek
“If you live in Vancouver, you might be familiar with designer, Judson Beaumont, and his unique shop, Straight Line Design, where furniture looks ready to come to life. His creations are anything but straight lines, and this adorable tale tells the story of quirky furniture characters making friendships. For local literature lovers, this book is a find!” —Westcoast Families
“For inventiveness in wood, few beat Straight Line Designs founder-principal Judson Beaumont. The firm’s name is Beaumont’s joke given the few straight lines in the children’s furniture he’s made since 1985 at the Parker Street Studios complex. Still, the animation of his humorously curved but precisely functioning dressers, cabinets, tables and suchlike convince some that Beaumont can make wood talk. Now he’s done it. That’s in the Chester Gets a Pet! book that Joanna Karaplis co-wrote, Breanna Cheek illustrated and the McKellar & Martin firm published. With a Beaumont mini-dresser named Chester O’Drawers Teakson gently advising children on pet ownership, the book may spur others in the Timbertown Tales series.” —Malcom Parry, Vancouver Sun
3) Fractured: Happily Never After? 3 Tales by Joanna Karaplis
“Gorgeous.” —A Tapestry of Words
“Completely original tellings in a modern context—fabulous!”
4) The Canoe He Called Loo Taas by Amanda Reid-Stevens, illustrated by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas
“…[A] gorgeous little book…Reid-Stevens is a masterful storyteller as evidenced in this, her first book….This is a must-read for all ages…. The poetry and aesthetics would be appealing to any reader and would make a lovely gift.” — Word of Mouse Book Reviews
Loo Taas was touted a “Recent Canadian Children’s Book of Note” by The Vancouver Sun
Loo Taas was deemed “…a must-have for all ages…”by the Lattimer Gallery, Vancouver, BC
“Loo Taas is a testament of our ancestors’ engineering genius, and serves as a significant symbol of the spirit of today’s Haida people. She is more than a canoe. She’s a national treasure, a modern marvel of supernatural knowledge, and a vehicle of the living Haida culture, proudly displayed within the Haida Heritage Centre at Kaay Llnagaay.”
—Jason Alsop, CEO, Haida Heritage Centre at Kaay Llnagaay
5) Nighty-Night: A Bedtime Song for Babies by Richard Van Camp
Selected as a BC Books for Babies by the Prince George Library.
Nighty-Night: A Bedtime Song for Babies was the official selection for the NWT Literacy Council and was given to 1,000 families across the north.
“There are 30 babies seated in laps and chairs and strollers, all gazing quizzically at Richard Van Camp. He pads across the floor in his moccasins, gesturing wildly as his brown eyes sparkle behind his wire-rimmed glasses. ‘Happy full moon!’ he exclaims to the fuzzy heads bobbing up and down. ‘Can I still tell some stories?’ …Though he’s 40 years old and the North’s most accomplished literary figure, Van Camp seems right at home here. He’s at the Yellowknife public library doing a reading of his newly released baby book, Nighty-Night: A Bedtime Song for Babies [McKellar & Martin Publishing Group], which…will be distributed to every newborn in the NWT….The babies are into it, cooing and gurgling, their chubby arms swaying back and forth. And the thing is, the parents are into it, too… — “Northerner of the Year: The Storyteller” by Kathryn Laidlaw, Up Here Magazine
5) B is for Basketball: An Alphabet Book by the Students and Teachers of School District #50, Haida Gwaii. (Includes a Foreword by Governor General Award-Winning Artist Robert Davidson.)
B is for Basketball was shortlisted for the First Nations Communities READ program for 2014-2015! We are thrilled to have been nominated alongside so many amazingly talented authors and illustrators!
Basketball was the official book of the 2011 All Native Basketball Tournament held in Prince Rupert, BC.
“While this is an alphabet book, it also succeeds in painting a picture of the All Native Basketball Tournament. Now in its 53rd year, this is a significant cultural event in BC…” —Books My Boys Love
The BC Literary Council of the International Reading Association deems B is for Basketball, “[A] fabulous collaboration…B is for Basketball is destined to become one of those treasured books that are purchased as a keepsake and passed down through the generations…”
Acknowledgment of First Nations Territory:
McKellar & Martin Publishing Group is located on the traditional and unceded territories of the Qayqayt First Nation and Coast Salish peoples. We strongly respect, recognize, and honour the people, the land, and the history of these territories.