Red Parka Mary Resource Evaluation Trisha Ranola

10105270
September 25, 2017
The resource my group chose to evaluate, using the framework by Alberta Education
(2005a), is a picture book called Red Parka Mary written by Peter Eyvindson and illustrated by
Rhian Brynjolson. The story tells of a young boy who is afraid of his neighbour, Mary, and her
brown eyes. He learns to overcome his fear as they begin to get to know each other. As a
Christmas gift, the boy buys Mary a red parka, and in return, Mary gives the boy love,
represented by a small, heart-shaped bead in a box lined with rabbit fur.
Although Pemmican Publications, the publisher of this book, was founded by the
Manitoba Métis Federation (Pemmican Publications, n.d.), the information we found does not
indicate that the author or the illustrator have any Aboriginal roots. Because of this, although the
publication has been validated by Aboriginal groups, we cannot be certain that the author or
illustrator are qualified to deal with Aboriginal content, and should therefore be cautious about
the way Aboriginal traditions and customs are portrayed. Despite this uncertainty and my limited
knowledge about Aboriginal culture, I believe that one strength of this resource is its portrayal of
Aboriginal values. Based on what I learned from Little Bear (2000), this resource effectively
portrays the value of wholeness, focusing on sharing and kindness through the characters’
interactions with each other. One example of this is when Mary gave the boy and his mom a pail
of chokecherries and, in return, they gave her a bag full of sugar. Mary then used this sugar to
bake bread which she shared with the boy (Eyvindson & Brynjolson, 1996). However, Little
Bear (2000) emphasizes that sharing not only includes material goods but also being able to
“sustain ‘good feelings’”, seen here as a result of respect and kindness, which are demonstrated
through the boy’s friendship with Mary and Mary’s gift of love to the boy.
One detail about this resource that might pose a problem for evaluating its cultural
authenticity is the fact that it is never explicitly stated that the characters in the book are of
Aboriginal descent, and readers are left to infer this from the story and the illustrations. This may
make it difficult to determine if the Aboriginal traditions and customs are depicted accurately in
the book, especially since my knowledge of the cultural differences between the various
Aboriginal groups is limited. However, the author may have made this choice to ensure that the
message being conveyed is the main focus of the book, but still make it clear that the story is
being presented from the Indigenous perspective. While the acknowledgement of Aboriginal
identity is important, I believe that in some ways, it may also be valuable for Aboriginal children
to see themselves represented in a story that does not place the emphasis on Aboriginality itself.
Red Parka Mary Resource Evaluation Trisha Ranola
10105270
September 25, 2017
Classroom applications

 This book can be read to elementary students before a discussion about the central themes
of sharing, kindness and respect in the story. Teachers can use the imagery of the four
petals of wholeness (strength, sharing, honesty and kindness) as described by Little Bear
(2000) to further their discussion of the themes in the book. Teachers can then ask their
students for examples of how they might have seen these values in the book, particularly
sharing and kindness. Because strength, sharing, honesty and kindness are values that
should always be emphasized, the teacher may decide to extend this discussion and may
create a classroom flower that they can put on display in their classroom. Throughout the
year, the class can continue to read books that exemplify these four petals, and each
student can come up with ways in which they could demonstrate these four values around
their school community and at home, which they can use to decorate their classroom
flower.

 In a high school English Language Arts (ELA) class, this book can be used as one of the
resources to be critically analyzed. This is a good way to develop visual literacy through
the study of the illustrations in the book. By studying picture books, students can learn to
extract meaning from non-print sources by studying the illustrator’s artistic choices, such
as the use of space and colour (Alberta Education, 2003). Students could study these
choices in relation to the text and discuss how this may contribute to the effectiveness of
the book in conveying its message. Teachers could turn this into an interdisciplinary
learning experience by drawing on the students’ knowledge from their Social Studies
class to help them in their analysis of similar sources. Connecting these two disciplines
could make for a rich discussion about how literary devices and illustrations can work
together to address a social justice issue. These skills could be used in future activities
surrounding social justice literature. For example, students can apply what they learned
by creating a picture book of a social justice issue they are interested in exploring,
keeping their audience in mind as they create their books. These books can then be shared
with a younger grade.

 In a grade 10 Social Studies class, this book can be a good tool to use as an introduction
to a discussion about the impacts of globalization on Indigenous peoples in Canada
(Alberta Education, 2005b). Although this book does not directly relate to the topics
being addressed in the course, this could open up a discussion about students’ perceptions
of Indigenous peoples and the stereotypes that exist. For example, after reading the book
together, groups may discuss whether they agree with the messages being conveyed by
the book, and how this may change some of their perceptions of Indigenous peoples. This
may help students to move past stereotypes, and create a shift in their thinking and their
approach to the course content. Instead of approaching difficult topics, such as residential
schools, through the lens of negative stereotypes, students can approach these with
Aboriginal values in mind. If collaboration between ELA and Social Studies teachers is
possible, the ELA activities previously described and the Social Studies activities can be
planned together so students can draw on their knowledge from each class to deepen their
understanding. Skills gained from ELA classes can also be used for source analysis in
Social Studies.
Red Parka Mary Resource Evaluation Trisha Ranola
10105270
September 25, 2017
References

Alberta Education. (2003). English Language Arts (10-12). Retrieved from

https://education.alberta.ca/media/160418/ela-pos-10-12.pdf

Alberta Education. (2005a). Evaluating resources about Aboriginal peoples. In Our words, our
ways: Teaching First Nations, Métis and Inuit learners (Appendix 6). Retrieved from
https://education.alberta.ca/media/3615876/our-words-our-ways.pdf

Alberta Education. (2005b). Social Studies Kindergarten to Grade 12. Retrieved from
https://education.alberta.ca/media/160209/program-of-study-grade-10.pdf

Eyvindson, P., & Brynjolson, R. (1996). Red Parka Mary. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Pemmican
Publications.

Little Bear, L. (2000a). Jagged worldviews colliding. In Battiste, M. (Ed.), Reclaiming

Indigenous voice and vision, (pp. 77-85). Vancouver, BC: UBC Press. Retrieved from
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/lib/ucalgary-
ebooks/reader.action?ppg=108&docID=3245709&tm=1503510834180

Pemmican Publications. (n.d.). About us. Retrieved from

http://www.pemmicanpublications.ca/About-Pemmican-Publications.page