Heidi Stephenson, Animal Rights Poetry and Prose:
Once you get beyond the nail polish, Midnight Kitten eyeliner, selfies
and bubblegum of the beginning, (which, in truth, could do with a bit of a
haircut,) the magic really starts to happen. Cusping 13, Kessa reluctantly
heads out to her dad’s lakeside, wilderness home in Maine for the summer,
and unexpectedly discovers that she has The Gift. The living world responds
to her. Animals approach her, naturally trusting her and talk to her mind to
mind, (our ancient, cross-species, prelimbic telepathy,) and she to them.
They show her who they really are: intelligent, individuated, relational
beings, with their own agency, wants, needs, personalities—and purpose.
From Bucky, the beloved, family dog, to Mihku, a wild squirrel and Sippy, a
sparrow (Kessa’s animal guides,) they tell her their stories. They are her
allies too: Moxie, a rainbow trout, helps save a drowning toddler,
signalling to Kessa mind to mind, image to image, where Daisy has fallen in
the vast Wabanaki lake.
Kessa is an empath and an animal communicator, in the very real vein of Anna
Breytenbach, Pea Horsely and Maureen Rolls; and she is also a healer (it is
clear): all the plants respond to her gentle, natural touch and, at times
alarmingly, grow and burgeon in an instant!
This is wonderful, aspirational, New Paradigm, teen lit, as appealing to
younger readers as it will be to teenagers (and adults too.) There’s all the
thrill, excitement and flushed anticipation of first love with Arthur, and a
real sense of coming of age. There are painful moments too, of course: the
shattering realities of parental abandonment and divorce, the death of Bucky—and when Kessa feels the grief of a young bull who, forced to wear an
abominable, spiked nose ring as a calf, was stopped from suckling his
mother’s milk (so that we humans could steal it,) inadvertently hurting his
mother so badly she was forced to kick him away. He miraculously escaped the
slaughter-truck: “Time to send them off!”—fleeing the long line of
terrified, male babies by bolting and hiding out in the woods. But he saw
all his bovine brothers go, and he heard the devastated wailing of their
mothers: “A strained wail echoed around the farm.” It is a moment he can
never forget, but Kessa helps him with his depression, (and opens our eyes,
hearts and minds in the process.) Kessa and Arthur come to the aid of a sad,
lonely and hungry alpaca too. They feed her apples, carrots and bananas
under cover of night and liberate her to far better circumstances at a local
animal sanctuary, with the eventual cooperation of the old man who just
didn’t know how to look after her and totally neglected her.
There is a beautiful sense of teenage empowerment here—and the motivation
to do the right thing, to go the extra mile when anyone vulnerable is in
need—whether it be a toddler, a bull, or an alpaca. Kessa manages to get
the Green Corn Festival fireworks (which terrify and harm so many of
Wabanaki’s birds and other animals,) to commit to a laser show instead.
(She’s a budding writer and she puts it to good use.) A loving ethics is at
the forefront here. This is inter-species cooperation at its best, and an
inspirational clarion call, delivered via a gripping, page-turning story.
Kessa’s veganism is no ‘fad’ and we really get to understand that, to see
that it is the only humane and just way to live.
I’ve been vegan for 16 years, but my tofu will be scrambled with turmeric
and onion salt from now on, and my cakes will be baked with apple-sauce!
This wonderful, teen adventure and skin-tingling, lake-side romance, is not
only peppered with compassion and wisdom, it has some great tips too!
Eunice Wong, award winning actress and author of What the Health: The Startling Truth Behind the Foods We Eat and Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret:
A beautifully written coming of age story that will speak to the hearts of vegan tweens and teens alike.
Sailesh Rao, Ph.D., author, founder of Climate Healers:
An intimate look at the daily ups and downs of a vegan child in a non- vegan
world. It is an extremely engaging and magical exploration of human and
non-human relationships, with animals who communicate with gifted humans and
a moving portrayal of a family's relationship with their aging companion
animal.
Christen is an artist and children's book author with a BFA from the Tufts School of The Museum of Fine Arts. Having run after-school programs in the Boston area for many years and a non-profit bringing the arts to schools in need, she has developed a keen interest and ability to connect with children of all ages to help them realize their artistic potential. Christen lives on the North Shore in Massachusetts with her husband and two vegan girls.
Return to Book Recommendations
Read more at Book Directory