Thanks to the Animals - illustration detail

Thanks to the Animals

Allen Sockabasin, Passamaquoddy Storyteller

Illustrated by Rebekah Raye

Hardcover, $16.95, ISBN 978-0-88448-270-3

9 x 10, 32 pages, color illustrations

Children / Native American; PreK-Grade 3

"Sockabasin weaves a powerful story of paternal love while simultaneously expressing the mutual respect between his Passamaquoddy culture and the natural world---gives a fascinating glimpse of a culture not often seen in picture books."
—School Library Journal

"Allen's voice is both gentle and strong. I can't think of a book I could recommend more highly for anyone who wants to give a young reader a true picture of the Native way of seeing, teaching, and understanding."
—Joseph Bruchac

Little Zoo Sap and his family are moving from their summer home on the coast to the deep woods for the winter, traveling on a big bobsled pulled by big horses through the snow. When Zoo Sap falls off of the sled unnoticed, the forest animals hear his cries. First to come are the beaver, who put their tails together to cradle him. Then all the other animals circle round—everyone from the tiny mouse to the giant moose to the great bald eagle—keeping him warm and safe until his father comes back to find him.

Allen Sockabasin is a Passamaquoddy who devotes much of his time to teaching and preserving the Passamaquoddy language. A master musician, he has written, performed, and recorded Passamaquoddy stories and songs. He has been a tribal governor, a member of the tribal council, and director of child welfare for his tribe, and a health educator. He is the father of five grown children and a young son named Zoo Sap.

Rebekah Raye is an artist beloved for her bird and animal paintings and sculpture, derived from her affinity with the natural world around her at her studio in East Blue Hill, Maine. She has been interested in animals and art since she was a child in Eastern Tennessee, and now in addition to creating her own works of art, teaches workshops for children and adults. For more about Rebekah: www.rebekahraye.com, twitter.com/Rebekah_Raye, www.facebook.com/pages/Rebekah-Raye/228781960724?ref=ts

Hear Allen Sockabasin reading Thanks to the Animals in Passamaquoddy, with his daughter Kendra Sockabasin reading in English.

These mp3 audio files can be downloaded (PC users, right click) or listened to online.

The Passamaquoddy language is still spoken by many members of the tribe, and there are ongoing efforts to increase the number of tribal children who speak their native language. Once, the Passamaquoddy and related tribes occupied land between Maine and New Brunswick, Canada. Today there are approximately 3,200 tribal members and the tribe owns 142,000 acres of land in Maine, which it monitors and maintains. Many Passamaquoddy live at Sipayik (Pleasant Point) on Passamaquoddy Bay, or at Motahkmikuk (Indian Township) near the St. Croix River.

Below are the Passamaquoddy names for the animals in this book, spelled phonetically by Allen to help English-speaking people become familiar with Passamaquoddy as it has been spoken traditionally.

Beaver, Qua-bid Otter, Kiw-nigg
Moose, Mooz Muskrat, Kiw-huzz
Bear, Moo-ween Squirrel, Meek-koo
Caribou, Mug-ga-lib Mouse, Obb-biwqk-saz
Deer, Aduke Owl, Koo-kook-huzp
Fox, Quawk-sus Raven, Kchee-gah-gog
Wolf, Mull-sunp Crow, Gah-gah-koos
Raccoon, Ess-puhns Canadian jay, Pskun-quahs
Porcupine, Mudd-wehs Duck, Mud-heh-sim
Rabbit, Ma-art-teh-gwas Goose, Wub-tuwqk-heig
Weasel, Zerg-whehs Eagle, Jeep-law-gun
Mink, G-yauh-kehs  

Allen Sockabasin author and Rebekah Raye illustrator, Thanks to the Animals


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