Raven, Rabbit, Deer

by Sue Farrell Holler, Jennifer Faria (Illustrator)

In an intergenerational winter’s story full of quiet wonder, a little boy takes his grandfather for a walk down a forest trail.

The boy shows Grandpa how to jump in the snow and how to make it make it splash into the creek. Grandpa shows the boy rabbit tracks and deer hiding among the trees. They greet their animal neighbors by name: Raven, Rabbit, Deer, Sparrow. Back home, the little boy sets the table with cookies while Grandpa pours the milk. It has been a glorious afternoon, and soon there will be books and blankets and the big armchair by the fire.

In Raven, Rabbit, Deer, Governor General Award-nominated author Sue Farrell Holler casts a spell of simple wonder as small child earnestly sets out to take care of his grandfather for the day. Grandpa wisely gratifies this sweet self-importance while passing on important lessons: how to greet a raven…how to know a deer’s tracks…how to be family. Illustrator Jennifer Faria Lipke, a member of the Chippewa Rama band, draws on her Indigenous heritage in illustrations so cozy they make the winter’s day feel warm.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Family, Nature, Indigenous, Childrens, Native American

32 pages, Hardcover

Published November 24, 2020

About the author

A Grade 4 writing assignment gone awry, set Sue on a path in which she practically stalks the neighbourhood postal carriers looking for letters addressed to her. The “ruined” assignment also began her journey as a writer, in which she is most often inspired by real people, real places and real events.

As well as writing books for children, she is a freelance journalist and a regular columnist for Sun Media newspaper, the Daily Herald-Tribune. In her weekly column, “Family Matters,” she writes about the joys and challenges of family life.

Seeing her name on an envelope -- especially one containing a cheque -- still gives her little shivers of anticipation as she slices open the side. She even opens junk mail.

Reviews

[Allie Outhouse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting tale of spending time with nature and grandfather's but it was hard to determine which indigenous language or culture was being introduced.

[Candance Doerr-Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

It seems that all of life can happen in a single moment. Or at least this was/is the feeling I take from this picture book describing a simple, winter walk, shared between grandfather and grandson.

The story starts with the young boy dropping his boots in his grandfathers lap “go for a walk?” and ends with the two asleep in a chair, beside a fire, after reading a book.

The illustrations of the faces of the boy and his grandfather speak beyond words of a presence and appreciation for the current moment, with the feel of the crunching snow and call of the raven.

I can’t help but feel a powerful disruption of time in this story. The connection between the boy and his grandfather, and the two with the winter outdoor place, the raven, the deer, and the snow ❄️, were able to step out of linear experiences of time and connect across generations and spirit. I’m not sure what any of this means for my analytical brain, but I felt it while reading and was almost brought to tears.

Thank you, Sue Farrell Holler, Illustrator Jennifer Faria, and the lovely librarian who plucked this book off the shelf for me.

Used: MPL

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Canadian Sue Farrell Holler is not indigenous, but the illustrator, Jennifer Faria is Chippewa.
This story, which is very suitable for young preschool children, features a young boy and his grandfather taking a walk in the snow. The grandfather names three animals (in the title) in English and in Ojibwemowin. The rest of the text is in English. The story emphasizes the difference between the young bouncy, lively boy, and the more slow and careful grandfather. The appealing illustrations were rendered in acrylic and colored pencil.

[Karen McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet picture book that shows a walk between a grandpa and his grandson. On the walk, grandpa teaches the grandson how to say the animal names in Ojibwemowin and how to recognize their tracks. This was my favorite part of the story. The plot itself is an ordinary day, and some of the details and scenes seemed unnecessary and took away from learning about the animals. Also, counting to 5 gave the feeling of a book for younger readers. Ultimately, my almost 7 year old was too old for this book, but it would be good for preschool. #LitReviewCrew

[superawesomekt · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very gentle picture book of a Grandpa and his son going on a walk in which the Grandpa gives some unknown indigenous words for the animals. I wish it would give more information about which language the grandpa is speaking. Also, while I like the idea and I like the illustrations, there wasn't much of a story and the text was kind of dull.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

This gentle story about exploring nature has nice illustrations, but it's unclear from the story itself which indigenous culture and language the author is introducing with the bilingual elements. Also, not much happens. It's more of an informational book about identifying animal tracks than a story.

[Michelle (FabBookReviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by Sue Farrell Holler and illustrated by Jennifer Faria, Raven, Rabbit, Deer is a warm winter story featuring a lively young narrator, his grandfather, and a walk full of discovery in the forest. The story opens with our narrator, a young boy, smiling and dropping their red boots onto grandpa’s lap- eager to take a walk in their snowy surroundings! As grandpa and child walk carefully in the snow, they stop to look at animals and habitats around them, with the grandfather saying the name of the animals first in English, then in Ojibwemowin. A walk that involves learning and lessons, as well as thoughtful and innocent considerations made by the young boy, the story eases into a terrifically snug ending. Sue Farrell Holler captures the imagination and chatter of a young protagonist so well here, making Raven, Rabbit, Deer endearingly sweet and surely to appeal to young listeners and readers; while the beautifully inviting, toasty-sweet illustrations by Jennifer Faria are soothing and retro-feeling in their rosy charm. An easy-moving story highlighting a lovely intergenerational relationship between a child and their grandparent, Raven, Rabbit, Deer makes for cozy reading and happy animal searching- even for the littlest of of readers. Readers who enjoy sweet family-centered stories and/or children’s titles such as When We Are Kind, In the Sky at Nighttime, A Walk on the Tundra, or A Stopwatch from Grampa, might especially enjoy this lovely tale. Extras: Endpapers contain full-page illustrations featuring a snowy scene with a deer, rabbit, and raven, their respective Ojibwemowin spelling and a pronunciation guide.

I received a copy of this title courtesy of Pajama Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own.

[Alissa Tsaparikos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely book about a grandfather and and grandson exploring a winter's day. I really like how the grandpa tells the names of animals in both English and his native Ojibwemowin. The phonetic guide in the front and back of the book are a great resource also. This book also is an animal look and find, focusing on animal tracks and counting what they see. Overall a great winter book for storytimes.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The little boy in this reminded me of Mister a bit. And the grandfather reminded me of my grandpa, teaching me about the animals who left the tracks behind to tell their stories. I loved the warmth and the gentle truth that came through in this; a little boy would behave this way. A grandpa would behave this way. So wonderful and so cozy and so sweet and the illustrations captured it all perfectly.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This charming winter tale teaches the names and tracks of some wild animals you might see on a stroll through the forest. The animal names are given both in English and in Ojibwemowin, but the story doesn't give any context for what languages are being used. If you miss the story summary printed on the opening endpaper (which is all too easy to do), you might not even know what language is being taught.

[A Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite part of the book is that the grandpa is teaching the child the Ojibwemowin names for different forest animals. I liked the description of the deer tracks as ""I love you" hearts cut in two", too. I appreciate that the illustrator is a member of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation, although the illustrations themselves are not my favorite. Themes include: multilingual, indigenous, intergenerational, grandfather, winter, nature, snow, animal tracks, exchanging knowledge, etc.

[Mrs. Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raven, Rabbit, Deer is about a little boy on a winter walk with his grandfather. As they walk, he is introduced to animals by their English names, as well as their names in his grandfather's native language. They stop to look at animal tracks, even their own tracks imitating tractor tires. In the end, they enjoy each other's company as they warm by the fire.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is more than the adventures of a grandfather and a little boy and the wild animals they see in the snow. It's a story with English words and Ojibwemowin words (the language of the Chippewas). I LOVE native languages getting highlighted. We need more of that. And I appreciate that there were pronunciations.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adorable book about nature and family. I loved the connection between the boy and his grandfather and their journey through the wild during a snow. I loved the illustrations and the story. Thank you Pajama Press for sharing.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet and cozy book that features a winter walk with a grandfather and young boy. Grandpa teaches the boy the words for the animals they see in both English and Ojibwemowin. A nice slice-of-life story that introduces some indigenous culture to young readers.

[Connie T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

While out walking on a winter afternoon, a grandfather teaches his grandson about the forest animals. Back home, they enjoy milk, cookies, a book, and a nap.

The animal names are given in Ojibwemowin as well as English.

[Annese · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute!

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A grandfather and grandson take a walk in a winter wonderland and grandpa points out the animals and their names in his language.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this. The pictures and the simple story of discovery between a grandfather and grandson.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just a sweet little quiet read, with a really lovely grandfather/grandson dynamic happening. Sharing the Ojibwe animal names is a nice touch. Good for a winter day!

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A grandfather and grandson take a walk in snowy weather where they observe nature and share the sights in English and Ojibwemowin. Preschool and up

[Christine Turner]

Subject: Grandparent and child -- Juvenile fiction.
Ojibwa Indians -- Juvenile fiction.
Ojibwa children -- Juvenile fiction.
Forest animals -- Juvenile fiction.
Winter -- Juvenile fiction.

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful story quietly celebrating a day with grandfather

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best for the littles 1-5

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic story for winter, I loved the tracks in the snow.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very similar to Snowy Day, but with a grandfather out for a walk, too.

[Storytime Corner · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I drop my boots on Grandpa's lap. 'Want to go for a walk?' he asks?"
❤️ I loved Ojibwemowin words scattered throughout (and really appreciated the pronunciation guide on the front inside cover). I also really liked the different animal prints in the snow
💫 I wish the story hadn't been written in first person. The writing was very simple, I think because the boy is supposed to be very young. But I think it would have been much stronger with more descriptive writing.
📆 Great book for January or any non-holiday winter months
Check out StorytimeCorner.com to see our favorites grouped by time of year/theme we’d recommend reading them.
My Ranking System:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I absolutely love everything about the book and would buy it
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love the book but there are enough “wishes” that I wouldn’t buy it but I’d definitely check it out again
⭐️⭐️⭐️ I’m glad I read it once but it is a one time read and never again
⭐️⭐️ I was bored and wish I had the time back that I spent reading it
⭐️ I really didn’t like it and would advise people NOT to read it