Secret of the Dance

by Andrea Spalding, Alfred Scow Narrated by Christian Down

Overview

In 1935, a nine-year-old boy's family held a forbidden Potlatch in faraway Kingcome Inlet. Watl'kina slipped from his bed to bear witness. In the Big House masked figures danced by firelight to the beat of the drum. And there, he saw a figure he knew. Aboriginal elder Alfred Scow and award-winning author Andrea Spalding collaborate to tell the story, to tell the secret of the dance.

Editorial Reviews

School Library Journal

Gr 4 Up
This picture book is based on an incident from Scow's childhood. In 1935, a Native boy and his family are spirited away by boat to a secret location where he witnesses a Potlatch ceremony-outlawed with severe consequences at that time by the Canadian government. This story gives readers barely a taste of the culture and vast history around the topic. Bold and colorful acrylic illustrations do serve to add drama and interest; they are interlaced with ghostly Native imagery. Names (e.g., "Watl'kina" and "Tlakwetl") and vocabulary are difficult to read and pronounce without a guide. A historical note is included, although it's at the end of the book rather than at the beginning. Younger children who gravitate to picture books may find the abstract concepts of government and prejudice difficult to comprehend. The story is far more suited to older children who would empathize with and appreciate what Native Canadians endured at this challenging time in their history.
—Corrina AustinCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Canadian Literature

"The illustrations...strikingly reflect Aboriginal imagery. The voice of the adult recalling a profound and transformative childhood moment is... immediate and credible."

Tucson USD

"Based upon a true incident, this story provides a discussion venue for discrimination and prejudice."

Horn Book

"An innocent perspective on a powerful act of defiance...Gait's large-scale acrylic paintings reinforce the religious dimension, infusing magic realism into the landscape and story."

The Globe and Mail

"Powerful aboriginal images and symbols…are incorporated into almost all the acrylic paintings that illustrate this…fictionalized account of a signal event in the life of Alfred Scow...told in simple but evocative prose."

Booklist

"The child's view of brave adults in secret rebellion will even attract children somewhat older than the target audience."

BC Bookworld

no details

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175042413
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	09/01/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

Read an Excerpt

"Many years ago, when the world and I were younger, my family defied the government."

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