Publicity materials for Taan's Moons (McKellar & Martin, 2014) tell us "There's a moon in the sky. It looks like a drum, which guides the earth where Taan is from. So begins a year in the life of Taan, which means 'bear' in the Haida Language."; Alison Gear's picture book follows Taan as she experiences the Haida Moon cycle and its associated seasons. Kiki van der Heiden's felted artwork, created with the children of Haida Gwaii, illustrates the story. Gear and van der Heiden worked with the community of Haida Gwaii to create this book, and "the title of each moon cycle has been translated into both Skidegate and Old Massett Haida, honouring language and wisdom.";

Alison Gear was born in Vancouver and earned a Master of Arts in Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia. She moved to Haida Gwaii in 1996 where she works as an Early Learning Coordinator for the Haida Gwaii School District. Illustrator Kiki van der Heiden was born in the Netherlands and moved to Haida Gwaii in 2001.

BOOKS:

Taan's Moons: A Haida Moon Story (McKellar & Martin Publishing, 2014) $19.99 978-09916-7824-2 (illustrated by Kiki van der Heiden)

[BCBW 2015]