• Age: 4 to 7
• Grade: k to 2
• Reading age: 4 to 7

In this introduction to the Anishinaabe tradition of totem animals, young children explain why they identify with different creatures such as a deer, beaver or moose. Delightful illustrations show the children wearing masks representing their chosen animal, while the few lines of text on each page work as a series of simple poems throughout the book.

In a brief author’s note, Danielle Daniel explains the importance of totem animals in Anishinaabe culture and how they can also act as animal guides for young children seeking to understand themselves and others.

 

Danielle Daniel est une artiste métisse multidisciplinaire. Elle a écrit Parfois je suis un renard pour encourager son jeune fils à découvrir ses racines autochtones. Enseignante pendant de nombreuses années, Danielle travaille maintenant comme professeur d'art à temps partiel au Canada et aux États-Unis. Elle habite dans le nord de l'Ontario.

 

Danielle Daniel is an author and artist whose first picture book, Parfois je suis un renard, won the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and was shortlisted for the First Nation Communities Read Award for aboriginal literature. A former elementary school teacher, Danielle is pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing through the University of British Columbia. Danielle lives in Sudbury, Ontario.

 

Danielle Daniel's profile page

• Short-listed, Blue Spruce Award
• Winner, Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award
• Commended, TD Summer Reading Club Top Recommended Reads
• Commended, CCBC Best Books for Children and Teens
• Commended, 49th Shelf Favourite Picture Books of the Year
• Commended, New York Public Library Best 100 Books for Reading and Sharing

Reminds readers of the importance of critical self-reflection and of our connection to the animal world — two ideas worth championing at any age.

Quill & Quire, STARRED REVIEW

The stylized masks, soft colours and big eyes of the children convey a seriousness, almost an otherworldliness, to the animal/human relationship. . . . Haunting and thought-provoking.

Toronto Star

A stunning glimpse into the traditions of the Anishinaabe culture. . . . Highly recommended.

CM Magazine

The ideas inside unfurl outside the pages into readers’ own imaginative worlds.

Boston Globe

This book will fascinate children expanding their horizons and learning about other cultures (or, in the case of Anishinaabe kids, their own).

Kirkus Reviews

Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox

In this introduction to the Anishinaabe tradition of totem animals, young children explain why they identify with different creatures such as a deer, beaver or moose. Delightful illustrations show the children wearing masks representing their chosen animal, while the few lines of text on each page work as a series of simple poems throughout the book.

This book explores different parts of our identity, and invites response in a variety of curriculum areas: Drama (students become an animal of their choice and move and speak in role as that animal); Writing (write a first person account, in role, describing life as an animal); Visual Arts (create a mask or create an illustration to show an animal’s adventure) and Science (What facts do you know about that animal, What questions do you have about that animal characteristics?).

The author is available for school visits.