Andrea Spalding

Spalding, Andrea and Scow, Alfred. Secret of the Dance. Illus. by Darlene Gait. British Columbia, Canada: Orca Book Publishers. 2006. Primary.



In 1935, a boy named Watl’kina witnesses a forbidden Potlatch. The historical perspective accounts for the forbiddance of Native American groups to practice their culture’s ceremonies. In response, the Elders in this story decide to hold one final Potlatch. The children are told to go to sleep, but one is able to see the mysticism and familiarity within the ceremony. Realistic acrylic paintings alternate the pages between color and black & white to convey this stories perspective of retelling a story from this current point of time. It includes mixed mediums to interlace realistic visions with cultural symbolism. In the preset day, the narrator is happy that he can wear the regalia openly and participate in the dance openly.



AK Context: This is a similar story that can be applied to many of the indigenous populations when a Western government sought to control and forcibly assimilate people. This specific story is based on Alfred Snow, and Elder of the Kwick’wa’sut’eneuk, one of the Kwakwa’ka’wakw Nations in Canada. A historical note and glossary are worth sharing in a way of sharing culture and historical perspective. However, it doesn’t quite go over the intricacies of Potlatches.



Activity: I would like to bring in an Elder to come read the story or have while I read the story. I would like to have them share their experience with their culture and possibly delve into what a Potlatch is, and what it means.… (meer)

Solomon had always had a special love for the maple tree that stood near his house - a tree that offered him a comfortable perch, and whispered its many secrets to him. When his arboreal friend is knocked down in the course of a terrible storm, Solomon is heartbroken, until his uncle involves him in the carving of a mask from the maple's wood, and he realizes that his friend's spirit will live on...

Andrea Spalding's gentle narrative, inspired by a mask-carving workshop with master Tsimpshian woodcarver Victor Reece, offers a sensitive portrayal of a contemporary First Nations boy, and the central role his traditional culture plays at a crucial moment in his life. Janet Wilson's illustrations - done in oil - evoke a sense of family warmth and a connection to the natural world. It is easy to see why this appealing picture-book was picked for the First Nation Communities Read Award!… (meer)

Inspired by the traditional selkie lore of Scotland and Ireland, children's author Andrea Spalding spins this magical tale of a young boy, living in a small fishing village on Canada's west coast, who befriends and is befriended by one of the seal people. Drawn to the secret cove near his village, Finn swims with his phocine friends, and longs to hear their singing. When he discovers one of the seals caught in an old net, he frees her, and nurses her back to health, wishing all the while that she could live with him on land. Then one day, a mysterious young girl named Sheila appears in the village, and becomes his constant companion. Distrusted by the superstitious villagers, who suspect her selkie identity, Sheila remains loyal to Finn, abandoning her land life when he is endangered by a terrible storm...

Alternating between prose and a kind of sing-song poetry - "Seals joined her singing, / strange sounds ringing, / green waves cresting. / Sheila diving, / her shape changing, / a young seal swimming" - Spalding's lovely narrative has an enchanting quality to it that, when joined with Pascal Milelli's gorgeous artwork, creates a truly marvelous reading experience. It was Milelli's work, actually, that drew me to Seal Song, as I went looking for books he had illustrated, after enjoying his paintings in Gloria Whelan's Waiting for the Owl's Call. With a striking color palette - deep blues, greens and browns - and a rather cubist sensibility, these paintings draw the reader into their magical world, and are the perfect complement to the text. Highly recommended, to anyone who enjoys selkie stories, and to fans of Milelli's work!… (meer)