"Let's Go! haw êkwa!" - A Skateboarding Story About Finding Your Tribe

Let’s Go! haw êkwa! by Julie Flett(Greystone Kids, 2024)Good to Read for:Affirming anxious kidsCelebrating finding your tribeIts diverse representation Today’s Story Worth Sharing is unique in many ways. It’s by a favourite picture book maker of mine, Cree-Métis author and illustrator Julie Flett. As usual, Flett uses the opportunity to garnish her story by introducing readers to a little of her language and culture. Want to know more? haw êkwa! 

Let’s Go! haw êkwa! (Greystone Kids, 2024)  is unique in many ways, the most obvious being that it’s a story about skateboarding that includes the Cree idiom haw êkwa! (pronounced how AYgwa), meaning “okay then!”  Based on personal experience, Flett’s story opens with the narrator – a small boy with dark skin – admiring the skateboarders who pass by his window each day.

 

Cacussh! Cacussh! Cacussh!

Closer and then farther.

 

The boy scrambles into his clothes and heads to the park with his mother.

 

At the park, I imagine myself riding a skateboard on the path that winds like a river.

   

The flurry of pigeons and sequential drawings of the boy bring so much energy to this image. It’s a beautiful example of how illustrations can enhance the text and raise further questions: Is the boy imagining that he’s flying like a bird, as well as riding a skateboard? Is Flett explaining pictorally that this is how it feels to ride a skateboard - to be free, flying like a bird? It’s this kind of small detail that kids will often pick up on – so take the opportunities when they arise to talk around the stories you share.)

 

One morning, my mom brings home a bag from Grandma’s house.

Her skateboard from when she was my age!

haw êkwa! Let’s go!

   

 The boy’s awkward first attempts will resonate with anyone who’s ever attempted to skateboard.  He starts off kneeling, then sitting, and finally, standing on his board. He practices over and over – at the playground, in the empty basketball court and Auntie’s yard. 

The day finally comes to brave the skateboard park.

   

But when we arrive, it’s like a waterfall of skateboarders crashing down. I’m not sure.

 

What a beautiful description, a waterfall of skateboarders. That should definitely become the proper collective noun! And such a powerful illustration. The boy stands to one side with his mum, clutching his deck and watching the skaters. It has so much energy and flow with the cropped characters zipping off the page. I love it! 

The boy bides his time and finds a quiet spot to watch (with mum reassuringly close by).

 

Soon I’m not alone.

   

Two more wannabe skaters join him to watch the action. A trio of kindred spirits, united by a drive to skateboard and a fear of joining in. Isn’t this the kind of situation where so many friendships are formed? They ‘[watch] the pattern and pace’ long enough to muster the collective courage until finally – haw êkwa! Let’s go!

   

As the story unfolds, you realise that this is not simply a story about skateboarding. It’s an invitation to become part of something – a community, a friendship group, a tribe – bigger than yourself (Sometimes we skate down the street, like a little river, together.) And in doing so, we discover that things that makes us feel alive. That make us unique. Let’s Go! feels like a celebration of life itself.

Flett identifies as Métis-Cree, and her characters have dark skin. Maybe that’s why one review likened Flett’s illustrations to those of Ezra Jack Keats. Keats’ picture books – infamous for portraying African American families and their neighbourhoods – were favourites of mine as a young boy.  Both illustrators feature panoramic, urban landscapes complete with gritty textures and chalk-scribbled sidewalks. Flett’s use of collage and patterned wallpaper is also reminiscent of Keats. Her illustration, depicting those first tentative attempts at skateboarding (with the boy shown multiple times against the same background) remind me of the scene where Peter is giddy from spinning in Keats’ Whistle for Willie. So I agree, there’s definitely a similarity.

   

Perhaps that’s why I find Flett’s work so comforting! It reminds me of a safe space from my childhood, the local library, where I would eagerly rifle through the picture books to find Peter and his dachshund, Willie.

Most significantly, both Keats and Flett portray BIPOC characters (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) in their picture books – not as representatives of social issues, but simply as kids being kids. Keats’ characters ‘lived in apartment buildings, played on city streets, and navigated urban environments that many young readers could recognise from their own lives.’ [Claude AI] Flett’s work builds on that legacy. In her earlier picture book,  We All Play!/kimêtawânaw!, for example, she features a child with a malformed hand (inspired by watching Paralympians). In Let’s Go!, kids with a passion for skateboarding can see themselves reflected, as well as those from loving and supportive single-parent families (as highlighted by American Indians in Children’s Literature’s review). So it’s about more than just ethnicity.

As Flett explains in an interview with The Federation of Children’s Books Groups, “when [kids] see themselves in books, it opens worlds to them – and a sense of belonging. For kids to feel seen and heard and that they belong in all of their own unique ways is so important.”

Seasons pass, and the years – like the skateboarders – roll on by. With perseverance and practice, our protagonist finally masters his sport and earns his independence. By the end of Let’s Go! the young boy is a teenager. The story comes full circle, ending with his mom watching through the window as her son returns home –

 

Now, every day.

Cacussh. Cacussh. Cacussh.

Closer, closer, home.

 

In an end note, Flett shares her inspiration and explains some of the story’s themes. She signs off: “I hope you find all the different ways of expressing yourself uniquely in the world and with the communities you find along the way.”

The world of picture books is blessed by Flett. Her unique expression shows readers that despite differences in culture and heritage, kids have shared interests and experiences. The addition of native Cree language only adds an extra richness to her work that reminds readers: There’s a whole world out there, waiting to be discovered.

haw êkwa! Let’s go!

    3 practical tips for sharing Let’s Go! haw êkwa! with your child

Have fun with an interactive read-aloud! At the appropriate times, kids can call out, "Let's go! haw êkwa!" They can make the sound of the wheels on pavement: "cacussh, cacussh, cacussh." They can move their bodies as the skateboarders do in the illustrations. (Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature blog)

Practice the "haw êkwa!" mindset - When your child faces something scary or new, use the Cree phrase together as a courage-building ritual. Make it your family's way of saying, “we've got this, let's give it a try!”

Explore the "flying like birds" imagery - Ask your child what activities make them feel like they're flying. Use Flett's beautiful illustration of the boy running through the pigeons to talk about what makes them feel most alive. (Then ask yourself: What can I do to help them achieve their potential and fly?)

Let’s Go! haw êkwa! by Julie Flett(Greystone Kids, 2024)Good to Read for:Affirming anxious kidsCelebrating finding your tribeIts diverse representation Copyright © 2024 Julie Flett (Text & Illustrations)From LET’S GO! haw êkwa! by Julie Flett(Greystone Books)Illustration of Peter (‘When he stopped everything turned down’) © 1964 Ezra Jack Keats. From Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats Visit Julie Flett's website GOOD TO READ

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BUY U.K. BUY U.S.A. * I EARN COMMISSION FROM THESE LINKS #AD/AFF RELATED ARTICLES SOURCESLet’s Go! haw êkwa! by Julie Flett (Greystone Kids, 2024)Youth Services Book Review: Let’s Go! haw êkwa! by Julie Flett by susanh579 (April 11, 2024)Let’s Go by Julie Flett, The Federation of Children’s Book Groups blog (June 04, 2024) Highly Recommended: LET'S GO! haw êkwa! by Julie Flett , American Indians in Children’s Literature, (September 03, 2024)Let’s Go! Kirkus Reviews (March 23, 2024) Are you stuck for quality stories that you and your kids will enjoy? Sign up for recommendations and tips. SIGN UP HERE © 2025 BY TIM WARNES(UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)****USE OF THIRD-PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE