Little Moons
- Publisher
- Portage & Main Press
- Initial publish date
- Sep 2024
- Category
- NON-CLASSIFIABLE, Siblings, Death & Dying, Paranormal
- Recommended Age
- 12 to 18
- Recommended Grade
- 7 to 12
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781774921074
- Publish Date
- Sep 2024
- List Price
- $22.95
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
In this moving graphic novel, thirteen-year-old Reanna grieves the loss of her older sister. Can she find comfort through her family’s Ojibwe traditions?
It’s been a year since Reanna’s sister, Chelsea, went missing on her way home from school. Without any idea of what happened, Reanna and her family struggle to find closure.
Driven from her home by memories, Reanna’s mom moves to the big city. Left behind on the reserve, Reanna and her little brother go to live with their dad.
Reanna is hurt and angry that her mom has run away. She feels lonely and abandoned…but she is not alone. Lights turn on in empty rooms, and objects move without being touched.
There are little moons everywhere.
About the authors
Jen Storm is an Ojibwe writer from the Couchiching First Nation in Northwestern Ontario. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Jen completed Deadly Loyalties, her first novel, at age fourteen. Fire Starters was her first graphic novel. She is a contributing author to This Place: 150 Years Retold and the upcoming graphic novel anthology Moonshot Volume 3. Currently, she is working on another graphic novel and is an acquisitions editor for a new Indigenous graphic novel series with HighWater Press. Jen was a 2017 recipient for the CBC Manitoba’s Future 40 Under 40 and in 2019 she served as the Writer-In-Residence for One Book UWinnipeg at the University of Winnipeg. She can be found on Instagram @jenstorm where she shares her passion for creating art and posts updates on her future projects.
Ryan Howe is a prairie Canadian cartoonist and graphic designer who fell in love with comics’ unique storytelling language at some point earlier than he can remember, and has been hooked ever since. He’s been collaborating with other comics creators since 2003, providing art for a wide variety of projects and genres on both the web and in print. Ryan’s recently tried his hand at writing as well as drawing, the ‘Daisy Blackwood: Pilot for Hire’ series being the rip roarin’ result.
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.
Nickolej Villiger's profile page
Alice RL (they/them) is a professional illustrator and art teacher based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As a non-binary, Ojibwe artist, Alice draws inspiration from their life experiences and cultural teachings. Alice blends these inspirations with a signature palette of bright, playful hues to create stunning juxtapositions of human brutality and emotion with hope and whimsy. Alice’s range of projects includes video game and comic book art, digital and traditional illustration, and graphic design. Alice is a graduate of the University of Manitoba Fine Arts Program and Digital Media Design at Red River College.
Awards
- Short-listed, Forest of Reading White Pine Fiction
Editorial Reviews
Cartoonist Howe and nonbinary Ojibwe artist RL create vibrant pages.... Wordless panels adroitly enhance the narrative.... The creators indelibly humanize the alarming murder and missing rates for Indigenous women and girls across Canada and the U.S. with names, family, memories.
Booklist
Among LA County Library’s Graphic Novels list
LA County Library
Takes on the difficult responsibility of expressing to readers that sometimes, even if it’s hard, even if there are no true answers, some things are important to speak about, read about, and talk about. …Storm and the art team beautifully weave a story about culture, heritage, family, loss, and grief in a tight-knit package.
School Library Journal
The story handles the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People with dignity and authenticity. A powerful and sensitively told story.
Kirkus Reviews
I love the realistic depiction of Reanna, who is not the typical skinny pathetic girl of some stories of loss. The graphic art and story successfully condense the passing of time over the year when the family waits for news of Chelsea. This is an important addition to libraries looking to diversify graphic collections.
Youth Services Book Review
Carries quite a bit of emotional heft giving readers a genuine portrayal of a family splintered by a uniquely specific grief….No one here is perfect, but everyone is deserving of sympathy…authentic. Recommended.
The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
