• Age: 6 to 16
• Grade: 1 to 11

"The Owl Song" by Alan Syliboy & the Thundermakers is now a gorgeously illustrated book for all ages, exploring Mi'kmaw spirituality, life and death.

They say when the Owl calls your name
that the Creator is calling you home.

And when the owl comes to you,
he sits and waits until your final breath
Then your journey begins.

From bestselling author Alan Syliboy (Mi'kmaw Daily Drum, Wolverine and Little Thunder, The Thundermaker) comes a beautiful new book exploring spirituality, mortality and grieving. An illustrated extended version of his popular song "The Owl Song," it features imagery inspired by his band Alan Syliboy & The Thundermakers' performance material and an author's note on Mi'kmaw tradition and Syliboy's own personal experiences with death. This book for all ages is a poignant depiction of what might happen when the Owl calls your name, and you begin your journey home to the ancestors.

Artist Alan Syliboy studied privately with Shirley Bear and attended the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, where, twenty-five years later, he was invited to sit on the Board of Governors. Alan looks to the indigenous Mi'kmaw petroglyph tradition for inspiration and develops his own artistic vocabulary out of those forms. He is also the author and illustrator of the celebrated book (and multimedia art show) The Thundermaker, which was shortlisted for First Nations Reads, and more recently the board book Mi'kmaw Animals. He lives in Truro, Nova Scotia.

Alan Syliboy's profile page

There is a unique essence to When the Owl Calls Your Name that speaks to both the Mi'kmaw culture, in content and art, and the spiritual beliefs of life beyond the corporeal. The messaging is straight-forward, both informative of beliefs and inspirational with regards to life paths, even beyond death. But the artwork will draw readers in, especially with the uniqueness of Alan Syliboy's shapes and line that are very reminiscent of ancient petroglyphs, though far more elaborate.

—CanlitforLittleCanadians.com

Syliboy's breathtaking artwork is inspired by the Indigenous petroglyph tradition and ancient Mi'kmaw engravings. The striking, double-page spreads are full of symbols, intricate patterns, and strong lines. At the beginning of the book, when the owl comes face-to-face with the soon-to-be-deceased, the images appear static and are in black and white. When the spirit begins to leave the body and the Earth, vibrant bursts of purple, green and yellow break through, and the succeeding scenes in the afterlife are full of colour, warmth and movement.

—CMReviews.com