This sensitive story delicately traces filaments of growth and loss through intergenerational friendship, art making, and changing moons and seasons. Simple and profound, we are reminded that finding a new friend can make a new place feel like home.
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When a young girl moves from the country to a small town, she feels lonely and out of place. But soon she meets an elderly woman next door, who shares her love of arts and crafts. Can the girl navigate the changing seasons and failing health of her new friend?
BIRDSONG
Julie Flett – Author and Illustrator
When Katherena moves with her mother from her home in a city by the sea to the country, she feels lonely and out of place. Katherena loves drawing, but has lost interest as she struggles to adjust to this new place. When summer arrives, she meets Agnes, the elderly woman next door. The two share a love of arts and crafts. Meeting Agnes changes everything. “I can’t wait to go home and start drawing.”
Katherena and her dog start visiting Agnes often. They garden together. They make things together. And they talk—about the seasons and about making things. Katherena loves to draw and shows Agnes her drawings. Katherena is Cree-Métis and tells Agnes about the Cree seasons. As the seasons pass, Agnes grows weaker and her adult daughter comes to stay with her. By the next spring, Agnes is even weaker. Katherena gathers all her drawings to take to Agnes for a final farewell.
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HELPING HANDS
When Agnes gets weak, Katherena decides to help her. What are some of the different ways we can help someone?
Think of two different times when you have helped someone.
1. Take a piece of colored paper and fold it in half. Spread the fingers of your non-writing hand and place it on the paper, with your thumb and index finger touching the fold.
2. Trace around your hand.
3. Cut out your hand shape. Remember not to cut along the fold where the tip of your thumb and index finger are. Open out the hands. You should be able to see a heart shape in the space between the two thumbs and index fingers. See diagram for reference.
4. On each hand, either draw a picture of you helping someone else, or write what you did to help.