Aaron Bell,
Jak's Story
Dundurn Press, 2010.

Rating: G*

Aaron Bell connects the experiences and teachings of the Ojibway Nation in southern Ontario to the shared ecological and conservation concerns of citizens as more and more of our forests and other green spaces are dismantled to make way for encroaching housing and business developments. This is a story of a boy who discovers the connection between people and the land through the stories of Grandfather Rock, whom he discovers while playing in the ravine behind his home which is about to be bulldozed to make a new housing development. Jak learns that youth have a voice and can use it to help effect change to save the natural world and its environment for the future of human and animal kind, and to teach people to respect the land and all those who inhabit it.

This is an excellent story to teach youth about First Nations beliefs and culture. It also reminds the reader of the importance of protecting the environment by setting limits to the amount of development of land. Aaron Bell’s honesty and respect for land and community shines through his writing in this first book. The writing style relates to youth, but sometimes seems very prescriptive, which hampers the flow.

Sharon Armstrong
Vol. 16, number 3
February 2011

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.