The boy looked much the same as the other kids in his class. New faces arrived almost daily from far away places, so it wasn’t his appearance that made him different.
He had always tried his hardest, but try as he might, somehow he didn’t seem to be able to get excited about the same things his classmates did. This year would be no different.
And so, as in years gone by, his mother would please him greatly by taking him out of school for a time. Again, she was sending him to live with his grandfather, his ‘Ya-A’ – to listen, to think and to learn.
‘Ya-A’ would reintroduce him to the Wind, the Tree and the Earth. ‘Ya-A’ would speak of responsibilities and of rights. ‘Ya-A’ would fascinate him with legends of the eagle, the whale, the raven and the wolf.
Of all the tales his grandfather told, none captured his heart more than the stories of the Old Ones – the Elders. And as the stories slowly became a part of him, by the seashore in the clear red sky of early evening, he began to see them.
They appeared as images suspended in the air, up toward the sun. Their lips were still, yet he heard them speak. Their message, like the words of his “Ya-A’, was clear and true, a message gone too long without being passed to other hearts.
He and his “Ya-A’ would share the words of the Elders often with all those who cared to listen – with all those who cared at all. …taken from The Elders Are Watching (ISBN 0-9693458-3-3)
REVIEWS:
“…Bouchard writes lyrical, thoughtful poetry to share the words of the aboriginal Elders with all who care to listen. Together, he and Vickers have created a visually stunning project that has deep meaning.” the Lethbridge Herald
“Another evocative pairing of the versatile Bouchard with a fine artist…” the Evening News, New Glasgow, N.S.
“Vancouver writer and teacher David Bouchard continues to be both very prolific and blessed by having great illustrators for his prose. Two newly published books bring to eight the number of picture books with his name.” VictoriaTimes Colonist
AWARDS:
Selected A Notable Canadian Non-Fiction Book for Children and Young Adults
Selected for inclusion in Our Choice catalog – by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre
The Elders are Watching has appeared on numerous best sellers lists including the Vancouver Sun, the Victoria Times Colonist, the National Post and Maclean Magazine.
Author’s comment:
I am thrilled to have met and worked with Roy Vickers. When we began this project, neither of us expected to to see the book translated into several languages and sell over 120,000 copies.
