Let’s Go!

PreS-Gr 2–A child observes skateboarders passing his window, noting the distinct sound of wheels rolling over a sidewalk, “Cacussh! Cacussh! Cacussh!” When his mother presents him with her old skateboard, he is off! The refrain “haw êkwa!” which, Flett explains in an endnote, is a Cree idiom that translates to “okay and” or “okay now” perfectly sums up the feeling of embarking on something new and also the determination to try again after a setback. Flett’s endnote also identifies the pleasure of being in a “flow state” that comes about after much practice. The text conveys this by comparing the skaters’ movements to a gentle stream, a flowing river, and even “a waterfall of skateboarders crashing down.” The fluid movement is carried along in the soft illustrations of winding paths, curtains blowing in the breeze, the gentle curve of an arm, the swoop of a half-pipe.