B.C. author Danielle S. Marcotte, who has special ties to the Yukon, has launched her newest book, Blue Camas, Blue Camas, illustrated by Alyssa Koski
Blue Camas, Blue Camas is a new children’s book, written by Danielle S. Marcotte and illustrated by Alyssa Koski, that tells the story of a flower native to the Northwest Coast of North America and considered a sacred and valuable plant by the Indigenous Peoples of this region.
“Why I came up with this book is that I like to give myself challenges as a writer,” said Marcotte. “I was wondering if I would be able to explain to young people the concept of cultural differences. Even adults have difficulty understanding cultural differences, and it’s really important in Canadian society because we’re such a grouping of people from all over the world, and it’s changing all the time.”
Intended for the four to eight age range, Blue Camas, Blue Camas takes place at the point of contact between a Lkwungen community and a group of Irish settlers who see the land in very different ways. The picture book is an ode to a way of life that was threatened and nearly destroyed through miscommunication and colonization, and it aims to raise awareness about food rights, biodiversity and the preservation of ecosystems, in a way that children can understand and discuss.
“In my view, if you respect the emotions of other people, you bring social justice and peace to your society,” said Marcotte. “Respect is at the heart of a peaceful society that will thrive.”
As Marcotte explains, the book centers on two children of two different cultures looking at the same piece of land and seeing different things. An Indigenous girl sees a crop of blue camas bulbs that her family can cook and eat, as well as exchange for other goods, while an Irish boy sees nothing of use because the agriculture they are used to would not include these bulbs.
“It’s interesting when you write for young people you have to reduce the vocabulary and use simple sentences,” said Marcotte. “Yet, in this particular case, but very often in children’s literature, you have to convey a complex situation, not just at one level but at many different levels—hence the challenge.”
While Marcotte does not choose the illustrators who work on her stories, she was very pleased to see what Koski did with this book. Koski—who sees bittersweetness in tragedy, and resiliency in Indigenous stories—likes to use colour to bring these kinds of stories to life visually.
“In Blue Camas Blue Camas, we see a changing world through the eyes of a young Lkwungen girl. I wanted to represent her feelings of comfort and support with her environment, the land she is familiar with as she harvests the blue camas with her community,” said Koski, who is a member of the Kainai Nation. “I tried to do this with the use of bright and lush colours and the thorough representation of plants and animals that are native to the area. There are some really gorgeous flowers that are natural to the Vancouver Island area, and I had a great time researching that in particular, as I also wanted to show the great variety in plant life. Then when the European settlers came and started to take over the land, I wanted to show this change. I decreased the colour saturation on all the areas touched by the settlers because I wanted to show how the locals may have felt, seeing the land that was always vibrant and varied and that has provided for them for generations … be altered so dramatically in the farming process. I wanted it to look like it was stripped of its life by stripping it of its colour. But I also didn’t want it to be completely void of colour.”
Marcotte is often up in the Yukon, and she finds inspiration from the land, the people and the stories of the territory. She has written stories set in the Yukon before and already has plans for more. Blue Camas, Blue Camas is available now via Heritage House Publishing.
“Blue Camas, Blue Camas is a very accessible story for children but also a deeply symbolic story that adults would benefit from reading too,” said Koski.
To learn more and pick up a copy, visit heritagehouse.ca/book/blue-camas-blue-camas.
