Synopsis
"He is forever and ever here in spirit"
An adventure. A magic necklace. Brotherhood.
Six-year-old Forrest feels lost now that his big brother Kitchi is no longer here. He misses him every day and clings onto a necklace that reminds him of Kitchi.
One day, the necklace comes to life. Forrest is taken on a magical adventure, where he meets a colourful cast of characters, including a beautiful, yet mysterious fox, who soon becomes his best friend.
Grief is a boundless emotion that affects each person in a different way. Six-year-old Forrest desperately misses his older brother, Kitchi. Clinging tightly to a locket containing Kitchi’s picture, Forrest’s sadness begins to abate as he recalls fond memories shared with his brother. A quick tap transforms the locket into a map that guides Forrest on an adventure filled with danger and unexpected friends. At the base of a nearby totem pole, Forrest discovers a striking and mysterious fox and begins a friendship that runs deeper than it first appears.
Beautiful illustrations filled with texture and color are the unquestionable highlight of this story. Beginning at the endpapers, readers are introduced to the world of Native American culture and folklore through images of totem poles and pictographs. Vibrant landscapes and detailed representations of humans and animals bring this spirit-focused story to life. Readers will find themselves captivated by each illustration, finding reasons to linger over them all.
Written for a young audience, only a few lines of text are found on each page. This story follows a loosely rhyming structure, where every two lines connect through a rhyme though the related lines are not always found adjacent to one another. While the meter is not consistent from line to line, the story is nonetheless enjoyable to read aloud.
An informal glossary at the end introduces readers to the meaning of a handful of Native American pictographs that are found throughout the book. Kitchi is a Native American word that means brave and is a fitting moniker for both Forrest’s brother and the spirit fox Forrest meets in this story. Though neither are Native American, the author and illustrator have carefully crafted a tale that is both respectful to and representative of Native American culture.
A visually stunning story about how lost loved ones are never truly gone, this is a book that will be appreciated by readers of all ages.
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