A Dance Through the Seasons is a new children’s book written by Leona Prince and illustrated by Carla Joseph, a Cree Artist from Prince George.
The book was born out of a dream Prince was gifted from her friend and colleague Shelian Hadfield.
“The dream was about me and about the things that were about to occur in my life,” Prince says in a news release. “I went home and had to write this story and create this narrative to make sense out of the challenges and opportunities I was facing.”
Prince is a Dakelh woman from the Lake Babine Nation and Nak’azdli and belongs to the Likh Tsa Mis Yu Clan. She is a descendant of the Stiche and Chief Kwah, and is the mother of three children.
As an award-winning educator, she is also the School District 91 Principal for Aboriginal Education in Nechako-Lakes.
A Dance Through the Seasons is written for students in grades four to seven and Prince says the book comes from a personal place of growth and discovery.
“I wrote this book for students who also face challenges and opportunities in their pre-adolescent phase of life,” she says. “I believe growth happens cyclically. The book is about perseverance, recognizing your own gifts, learning with patience, and living your purpose. These are the messages I want young people to know and understand through my own experiences and the things that give me a sense of identity and connectedness.”
Prince says she immediately knew she wanted to work with Joseph to illustrate the book.
Joseph is talented artists who received her key to become the Prince George Community Arts Council’s artist-in-residence at Studio 2880 in 2016.
She also went on to win Art Battle Prince George in both 2016 and 2018.
That’s a competition where for three rounds, artists compete against each other in front of a crowd with only 20 minutes to create something on a blank canvas.
“I want the world to know what an incredible artist Carla is, she is Prince George’s best-kept secret,” Prince says. “I love her work and how she captures the essence of Indigenous culture and the natural elements that are her signature.”
A Dance Through the Seasons will be officially launched this Friday (May 24) during a University of Northern British Columbia’s (UNBC) First Nations Centre event at the Gathering Place at 6 p.m.
The event, where both Prince and Joseph will discuss their collaboration, is open to the community to attend.
The location is fitting as Prince is also a UNBC alumna, holding Bachelor of Science (Biology, First Nations Studies) and Bachelor of Education degrees and a Master of Education degree in Multidisciplinary Leadership.
In 2017, she received a UNBC Distinguished Alumni – Professional Excellence Award.
The book is not only written and illustrated by Aboriginal women, but the book's publishing company Fireweed Canada is also Aboriginal-owned.
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