Young Adult Fiction Diversity & Multicultural
As I Enfold You in Petals
- Publisher
- Portage & Main Press
- Initial publish date
- Apr 2023
- Category
- Diversity & Multicultural, Values & Virtues, Aboriginal & Indigenous, Drugs, Alcohol, Substance Abuse
- Recommended Age
- 12 to 18
- Recommended Grade
- 8 to 12
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781774920411
- Publish Date
- Apr 2023
- List Price
- $23.95
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781774920633
- Publish Date
- May 2023
- List Price
- $19.00
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
Newly sober, Curtis searches for healing in the ancient cultural practices of his Tłıcho Dene grandfather. But will the Little People answer his call?
Curtis has returned to Fort Smith, six weeks sober. He doesn’t have any sober friends, his mom’s still drinking, and his best friend (and secret crush) Lacey probably is too. Still, he’s determined to abstain from alcohol and help his people. Along the way, he might just be able to help himself.
Louis, Curtis’s late grandfather, was a healer. Legend has it, Louis made a deal with the Little People that gave him the power to heal. No one has heard from the Little People since Louis’s death, but his cabin may hold the key for them to return. There’s only one problem: Benny the Bank stands in the way.
An infamous bootlegger, Benny has profited off Fort Smith’s pain for decades. After being critically wounded in an attempt on his life, Benny knows he doesn’t have much time before the poison in his blood takes him. He also happens to own Louis’s cabin.
Can Curtis convince Benny to return the home that once belonged to Louis? Will the Little People answer Curtis’s call? And can Benny find a way to make amends and leave a legacy he can be proud of?
A stunning, fast-paced graphic novel, As I Enfold You in Petals will keep readers riveted until the last page.
About the authors
Richard Van Camp is a proud member of the Dogrib (Tlicho) Nation from Fort Smith, NWT.He is a graduate of the En'owkin International School of Writing, the University of Victoria's Creative Writing BFA Program, and the Master's Degree in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia. He is an internationally renowned storyteller and best-selling author. His novel, The Lesser Blessed, is now a movie with First Generation Films and premiered in September of 2012 at the Toronto International Film Festival. He is the author of four collections of short stories, Angel Wing Splash Pattern, The Moon of Letting Go, Godless but Loyal to Heaven and Night Moves, as well as two children's books with Cree artist, George Littlechild: A Man Called Raven and What's the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses?His first baby book, Welcome Song for Baby: A Lullaby for Newborns, was the official selection of the Books for BC Babies program and was given to every newborn baby in British Columbia in 2008. Richard followed this up with another board book: Nighty-Night: A Bedtime Song for Babies. His third book for babies, Little You, is now out with Orca Book Publishers. The amazing Julie Flett is the artist. Little You is published in Bush Cree, Dene and South Slavey, courtesy of the South Slave Divisional Board of Education. His new book for babies with Julie Flett is called "We Sang You Home" and it is gorgeous!All of Richard Van Camp's children's books are available in Braille for free, anywhere in the world, courtesy of the Provincial Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired (PRCVI) and Accessible Resource Centre-British Columbia (ARC-BC)Richard has six graphic novels and comic books out: his first comic book on deterring youth away from gangs, Path of the Warrior, is published with Cree artist, Steve Sanderson, through the Healthy Aboriginal Network. His second comic book on sexual health is Kiss Me Deadly, with Haida artist Chris Auchter. His four graphic novels are Three Feathers (published in Bush Cree, Dene, South Slavey and English, illustrated by Krystal Mateus, on restorative justice; The Eisner Award Nominated A Blanket of Butterflies, on the theme of peace making, illustrated by Scott Henderson, The Blue Raven, illustrated by Steve Sanderson on mental health, and Spirit, a suicide prevention comic book illustrated by Emily Brown (which is also published in Bush Cree, Dene, and South Slavey and English).
Richard Van Camp's profile page
Scott Henderson (he/him/his) is author/illustrator of the sci-fi/fantasy comic, The Chronicles of Era and has illustrated select titles in the Canadian Air Force’s For Valour series and Tales From Big Spirit series, the graphic novel series 7 Generations and A Girl Called Echo, select stories in This Place: 150 Years Retold, Fire Starters, an AIYLA Honour Book, and Eisner-award nominee, A Blanket of Butterflies. In 2016, he was the recipient of the C4 Central Canada Comic Con Storyteller Award. https://scotthendersonart.wordpress.com/
Scott B. Henderson's profile page
Since 1998, Donovan Yaciuk (he/him/his) has done colouring work on books published by Marvel, DC, Dark Horse comics, and High Water Press including A Girl Called Echo and Breakdown: Reckoner Rises series and This Place: 150 Years Retold. Donovan holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from the University of Manitoba and began his career as a part of the legendary, now-defunct Digital Chameleon colouring studio. He lives in Winnipeg, MB Canada, with his wife and two daughters.
Nickolej Villiger (he/him/his) is a visual artist focusing on comic books and illustration. Nickolej is also a musician and has composed, produced, and arranged for video games and film. Dedicated to his family and fans of his work, he is most fulfilled when creating something that is uniquely his own, unfettered and unobstructed by the outside world. Nickolej lives and works in Lethbridge, Alberta.
Awards
- Nominated, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Graphic Novel
- Short-listed, Robert Kroetsch – City of Edmonton Book Prize
- Short-listed, High Plains Book Awards, Young Adult
- Nominated, Sequential Magazine Awards
- Nominated, YALSA's Great Graphic Novels for Teens
- Nominated, Nominated for YALSA's Great Graphic Novels for Teens 2023
Editorial Reviews
I loved [A Blanket of Butterflies] so much and the second book is just as good.
49th Kids, Top Grade CanLit for the Classroom
Once again, Van Camp affectingly melds his T???ch? Dene heritage—and his Fort Smith hometown—with urgent, contemporary storytelling, memorably enlivened by Henderson’s meticulous, realistic art and vibrantly colored by Yaciuk.
Booklist
Among 49th Kids's New Books for Indigenous History Month list
49th Shelf
Bringing in everything from traditional cooking to magical medicine power, Van Camp’s graphic novel celebrates cultural resiliency while never shying away from the difficulty faced by his characters.
Vancouver Sun
Among Pat St. Germain's Spring-fresh titles diverse and dazzling collection.
Montreal Gazette
It is a delight to have such a positive depiction of Dene spirituality and the people in this superb story of hope, strength of spirit, and redemption. The story celebrates family connections, memories, and stories through the text and the stunningly illustrated and colored illustrations.
No Flying No Tights blog
Among CBC Books 20 Canadian Comics to Check Out in the First Half of 2023
CBC Books
Other titles by
Beast
A Novel
Burning Cold
An Inuit and Dene Comics Collection
A Blanket of Butterflies
Little You / Gidagaashiinh
Det’oni-t’á tai / Three Feathers
Tout petit toi
Tú eres tú
Love Beyond Body, Space and Time
an Indigenous LGBT Sci-fi Anthology
This Place
150 Years Retold
