Rabbit Chase

by Elizabeth Lapensée (Author) Kc Oster (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

Anishinaabe culture and storytelling meet Alice in Wonderland in this coming-of-age graphic novel that explores Indigenous and gender issues through a fresh yet familiar looking glass.

Aimée, a non-binary Anishinaabe middle-schooler, is on a class trip to offer gifts to Paayehnsag, the water spirits known to protect the land. While stories are told about the water spirits and the threat of the land being taken over for development, Aimée zones out, distracting themselves from the bullying and isolation they've experienced since expressing their non-binary identity. When Aimée accidentally wanders off, they are transported to an alternate dimension populated by traditional Anishinaabe figures in a story inspired by Alice in Wonderland. To gain the way back home, Aimée is called on to help Trickster by hunting down dark water spirits with guidance from Paayehnsag.

On their journey, Aimée faces off with the land-grabbing Queen and her robotic guards and fights the dark water spirits against increasingly stacked odds. Illustrated by KC Oster with a modern take on their own Ojibwe style and cultural representation, Rabbit Chase is a story of self-discovery, community, and finding one's place in the world.

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The remote Aimée finally finds the solution to their spiritual conundrum in cooperation and companionship, encouraging young readers to value these instincts on their own adventures.

School Library Journal

In this debut graphic novel, Aimée, an Anishinaabe nonbinary student, is visiting the Petroglphs with their school's Indigenous Students Association to make offerings to the Paayehnsag, water spirits who trust only the young. Feeling increasingly isolated, Aimée, the target of bullies because of their pronouns, wanders off in the forest and encounters a white rabbit who can talk and read minds. Referring to the changing landscape and the presence of bulldozers, the rabbit warns that things will become dire "if we can't stop our land from being signed away." The rabbit implores Aimée to convince the Paayehnsag to help them fight the enemies in the dark waters. Thus begins a journey reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland, with similar characters such as a tyrannical queen and an auntie who entertains around a table sporting a top hat. The inventive storytelling of this page-turner will entrance audiences. The author blends elements from this literary classic with aspects of Anishinaabe culture and vocabulary in an accessible manner. Translations are provided for reference. Oster's artwork has a fresh, contemporary feel that also gives voice to the traditional figures in Anishinaabe culture and reflects the changing landscape of the land. VERDICT A moving graphic novel that touches on identity and cultural legacy, and representation that is sure to impact young readers.—Claire Moore

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Elizabeth Lapensée

ELIZABETH LaPENSÉE (Anishinaabe, Métis, and Irish) is an award-winning Anishinaabe, Métis, and Irish writer and illustrator whose work appears in Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection series, Deer Woman: An Anthology, and more.


KC OSTER (he/she/they) is an Ojibwe-Anishinaabe comic artist and illustrator. They live in the Rainy River District of Northwestern Ontario.


Aarin Migiziins (Little Eagle) Dokum ndizhinikaas, Wiikwemkoosing, Wiikwemkoong ndo njibaa. (My name is Aarin Dokum and my Nishinaabe noozwin/Anishinaabe name is Migiziins. I am from Wikwemkoosing, Wikwemikong Ontario, Canada.)


Aarin was raised by his fluent Nishinaabemwin speaking family and community. He left home at an early age to live in Moosonee, Ontario, Canada and spent three years as a restaurant cook in an isolated Cree community. After a short return home to Wikwemikong, he moved to Lansing, Michigan where he has been living ever since. He shares Anishinaabemwin as a language consultant through Nokomis Cultural Heritage Center. He is grateful for fluent elders and active givers of what he considers the most important part of any culture--language.


Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781773216201
Lexile Measure
550
Guided Reading Level
L
Publisher
Annick Press
Publication date
April 20, 2022
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV012040 - Juvenile Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore | Adaptations
JUV012080 - Juvenile Fiction | Legends, Myths, Fables | Native American
JUV030090 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | Canada - Native Canadian
JUV008070 - Juvenile Fiction | Comics & Graphic Novels | Fairy Tales, Folklore, Legends & Mythology
Library of Congress categories
-

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