The first stunning image in Firedancers is the hot orange-yellow-red of a brilliant autumn landscape at sunset. The world is on fire with light and colour, sky and trees blending with the clothing and faces of an Ojibway girl and her grandmother. Poet and short story writer Jan Bourdeau Waboose, author of two previous picture books, has written a powerful tale about youth and age, humans and nature, and about a child’s excitement over and fear of traditional customs. Accomplished Mohawk author and artist C.J. Taylor’s drawings seem larger and brighter than ever, her landscapes bursting with life and energy.

Fast One, as the grandmother calls the girl, has been to Smooth Rock Island with her grandmother many times before, but never at night. Apprehensive but unafraid, she is ready to pass this milestone, though hesitant to wander too far ahead of her grandmother’s reassuring presence. After building a fire (here the brilliant colours of the opening image appear again), and listening carefully to the sounds around her, she encounters an owl whose penetrating eyes and powerful wings reach out to her in the dark. Soon after, she joins her grandmother in a dance that connects her to nature, her late grandfather, and generations of ancestors who have danced there before.

Waboose’s story is eerie and intense, its message of continuity and connection carefully described but intentionally not explained too literally. Taylor’s drawings are so vivid they cast a spell of spiritual authenticity on this magical and heartwarming native story.