Each year, the Canada Council for the Arts honours the best books in Canadian literature with the Governor General’s Literary Awards. We would like to congratulate David A. Robertson and Julie Flett whose beautiful book, On the Trapline, won the Governor General’s Literary Award in English for Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books.
“With its muted palette and gentle text, On the Trapline is quietly profound. Robertson’s reflective storytelling coupled with Flett’s masterpiece illustrations make this picture book a must-read about the connection to language, family, the land and tradition.”
-Peer assessment committee: Kyrsten Brooker and Catherine Hernandez
On the Trapline
By David A. Robertson
Illustrated by Julie Flett
48 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735266681 | Tundra Books
A boy and Moshom, his grandpa, take a trip together to visit a place of great meaning to Moshom. A trapline is where people hunt and live off the land, and it was where Moshom grew up. As they embark on their northern journey, the child repeatedly asks his grandfather, “Is this your trapline?” Along the way, the boy finds himself imagining what life was like two generations ago – a life that appears to be both different from and similar to his life now. This is a heartfelt story about memory, imagination, and intergenerational connection that perfectly captures the experience of a young child’s wonder as he is introduced to places and stories that hold meaning for his family.
Special thanks to the peer assessment committee: Kyrsten Brooker and Catherine Hernandez.
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