Indigenous activist, host and director Melissa Mollen Dupuis, whose first children’s book has just been released, is one of the guests of the fourth Montreal Children’s Literature Festival, which takes place on Sunday. To create Nutshimit: A Forest Bath, the author teamed up with illustrator Elise Gravel.
From Hansel and Gretel to Little Red Riding Hood and Tom Thumb, many tales represent the forest as a disturbing place where witches, ogres and wolves hide. “In [these] stories, the forest is dangerous,” illustrates Melissa Mollen Dupuis, known in particular for her role in the Idle No More movement. A vision completely contrary to that of North American indigenous communities, underlines the Innu author.
It is this representation that Melissa Mollen Dupuis and Elise Gravel put forward in their book which invites children (and their parents) to take a “forest bath”. No question here of soaping up in nature or sitting in a bathtub in the moonlight, don’t worry. “A forest bath is just to exist in the forest”, summarizes the one who is responsible for the boreal campaign at the David-Suzuki Foundation.
However, this description does not encompass all the aspects covered in Nutshimit, believes Elise Gravel. “What you bring in the book is to communicate with the forest, to listen to it, to smell it, to touch it, to taste it and also to give back to it,” she raises, addressing her colleague.
Throughout the pages, Melissa Mollen Dupuis introduces readers to the trees and animals that inhabit our territory, in addition to transmitting various indigenous knowledge. Making a birch bark cone or preparing a blueberry paste called pashimineu are two examples. “The recipes and the tactile stuff that we talk about, I find that these are aspects of the book that will allow an even greater connection between children and nature”, believes Elise Gravel. She gives the example of her nephew who, as soon as he closed the book, wanted to do biting, that is to say drawings with his teeth in birch bark.
Spectators attending Melissa Mollen Dupuis’ workshop at the Montreal Youth Literature Festival on Sunday may be able to do the same. “In my workshops, I always have lots of objects for the children to touch to show them what they see in the book. »
Elise Gravel and Melissa Mollen Dupuis hope to inspire families to reconnect with nature. And to do this, you don’t need to be in a large forest in the Laurentians. “Nature is everywhere,” insists the author. “In our homes, in parks, in alleys, in cracks in sidewalks,” she writes in the book, whose title means “back in the land.”
“In our non-Aboriginal culture, we really take nature for granted. We don’t thank her, “said the illustrator. Inspired by the habits of her colleague, she feels grateful today when she picks mushrooms or sweetgrass.
A feeling of gratitude that children seem to have naturally. “When they find a casserole, it’s a treasure. They are super excited. They don’t take it for granted, she argues. The book will not only allow children to keep this gratitude, but will perhaps allow some adults to find it too. »
Spokesperson for the event once again, Simon Boulerice will take to the main stage. “He will put himself in danger because all the activity will be improvised,” explains Noémie Philibert-Brunet, co-organizer of the festival. From the music played by clarinettist Solène Selva-Rivero, the prolific author will invent a story with the help of the public.
Among the activities that should appeal to teenagers is a discussion with three young actors. Liliane Skelly, from the feature film Cœur de slush, Loïc Bouffard, from the series Défense d’entrée!, and Rahaf Ataya, from the film Dounia et la princesse d’Alep, will talk about the challenge of interpreting a character from a literary work.
A brand new area for comics and manga will be inaugurated thanks to a partnership with the Festival BD de Montréal. “There will be both free workshops all day and a few one-off activities, in particular with Julien Paré-Sorel, author of Aventurosaure”, details Noémie Philibert-Brunet.
The festival gives pride of place to Aboriginal culture this year. In addition to Melissa Mollen Dupuis, Jay Odjick and Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo will be at the event. Known for his illustrations of Robert Munsch’s book A Bear for Lunch, the first will give a drawing workshop while the second will offer a demonstration of traditional dance.
