Description
Fox on the Ice: Maageesees Maskwameek Kaapit is Cree playwright Tomson Highway's third installment in the children's book series, Songs of the North trilogy. Previous titles are Dragonfly Kites and Caribou Song. In Fox on the Ice readers meet brothers Joe and Cody, their parents, and pet dog who all live in northern Manitoba. This Cree family maintains a traditional lifestyle and in a winter setting the family spends the day ice fishing. Everyone is enjoying the day as the family eats a hearty picnic lunch of bannock, whitefish, and tea. Now the time to set the nets approaches and father and Joe set about completing the task. Mother and Cody snooze on the dog sled as the dog team rests. Just as father is setting the jigger and fishing net beneath the ice, the dog team sniffs the scent of a red fox on the far shore. The dogs immediately take off with the sled. Mother tries frantically to stop the dogs with loud commands but the dogs keep racing toward the fox. Father and Joe are left holding the fishing net and father has a dilemma. If he lets go of the net he will lose it but if deals with net then he will lose his wife and son. Father immediately drops the net and sets off after the runaway dog team. Father and Joe manage to stop the team, and mother and Cody are saved. When they return to the camp they find their pet dog has also saved the day. In the dog's mouth is the fishing net. The dog retrieved the net from certain loss and the family is so happy they all laugh and laugh. This bilingual story is told in English and Cree. Illustrations by Brian Deines capture the warmth of the family as well as the chill of the sunshine on the frozen water. Highway has produced another children's picture book that recounts a family story of a warm and loving Cree family. The joyful adventures of the two Cree brothers are celebrated once again in this heartwarming story.