Which Way Should I Go?

by Sylvia Olsen, Ron Martin, Kasia Charko (Illustrator)

Joey is a happy Nuu-chah-nulth boy, eager to help and quick to see the bright side of things. But when he loses his beloved grandmother, the sun goes out in his world. Fortunately, she has left something of herself behind—a song, which keeps knocking on Joey's heart, and a dance, which urges him to get up on his feet and choose again.

Sylvia Olsen was born and brought up in Victoria, British Columbia. She married into the Tsartlip First Nation and for more than thirty years she has lived and worked and raised her four children in the Tsartlip community.

Illustrator Kasia Charko's lively art is a song and a dance in itself. The forest setting, Grandma's house—even the sun in the sky—are richly informed by West Coast artistic traditions, without sacrificing a joyous, childlike appeal.

Genres: Picture Books

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2007

About the author

Sylvia Olsen is a writer and public speaker living on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. She is the author of several picture books, a number of first readers and novels for young adults and one non fiction—so far. Most of all she is a mother and grandmother and aunty to dozens of nieces and nephews.

Sylvia has spent most of her life living in Tsartlip First Nation, where her children and grandchildren now live. Because Sylvia is non native and her children are of mixed heritage most of her stories are about the place—the time—the experience of where different sorts of people come together. That’s one of the things that interests her the most. It’s one of the things she knows the most about—and like many authors—Sylvia writes about what she knows.

Her newest books are: a historical fiction set in the Gulf Islands called Counting on Hope (Sono Nis, Fall 2009) and A Different Game (Orca Books, Spring 2010). She is currently working on an adult non fiction and dreaming up a new story for a Young Adult novel (making it up is her favourite part of the writing process).

Writing is Sylvia’s most important hobby. She also loves to draw, sew, knit and design clothing. Her ‘real’ job is in housing. Her career, her dedication and her passion are to make sure everyone has a healthy place to live.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great realistic picture book that manages to openly discuss grief over the loss of a family member with a younger audience. Definitely one of my favorites, this story and illustrations combine to share something beautiful.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have heavily mined the library at the school I work at for indigenous children’s books. This week I’ve read 31 and this one was another great one. In my opinion, it is a touching portrayal of the grief process after a grandparent passes. Wonderful illustrations and authentic cultural references.