Forever Birchwood

Pitch by Zoe Lyle-Hayward

The treehouse refuge belonging to Wolf and her friend, known to them as Birchwood, is under threat of being chopped down, prompting Wolf to strive even harder to safeguard the environment she loves. Her enthusiasm is sparked when she learns about her family's Indigenous roots. Wolf's great-grandmother was a tree talker who foretold her destiny to protect the creatures and plants in her environment. However, Wolf faces ongoing challenges since her mother refuses to learn about their heritage. Her mother's boyfriend owns a construction company that contributes to the degradation of the surrounding ecosystems. While navigating her identity and attempting to save the environment, Wolf will also face obstacles such as difficulties with relationships, grief, and discovering sexuality.            

Windows and mirrors

Danielle Daniel, author of Forever Birchwood, “believe[s] all children should see themselves in the books they read, including the geographical setting” (Deogun) and in writing her books, felt pride in giving readers stories they may find reflections of their reality in, even drawing experiences from real middle-grade children. Forever Birchwood is important as it vouches for environmental awareness and gives a mirror to the experience of indigenous youth in Canada, not only trying to discover her identity but cultural one as well. “Mirror and Window Books” are stories that individuals may use as a tool in self-discovery “A mirror is a story that reflects your own culture and helps you build your identity. A window is a resource that offers you a view into someone else’s experience. It is critical to understand that students cannot truly learn about themselves unless they learn about others as well” (Moran) as they allow perspective into experiences some can relate to, and others can learn from that may not have been previously considered. Forever Birchwood is relevant to children’s literature and is an excellent example of a mirror and windows story in its diverse range of characters in an atypical setting not often featured in children’s stories while addressing a severe issue within Canada.

Why is it important?

Forever Birchwood is not only critical in providing middle-grade readers with a vessel to help navigate their own struggles of identity and how to deal with hardships. But it is also a vital commentary on future generations' obligation to nurture the environment and the impacts of ecosystem destructions on Canada’s indigenous communities. Indigenous communities fall victim to capitalist companies as “the main drivers of biodiversity loss in Canada, and the United States are varied but include habitat loss and fragmentation, climate change, invasive species, intensive agriculture, and industrial projects,” (Olive) often leading to protests on behalf of Indigenous communities as those destroying the land are not dependent on it, instead, wishing to exploit it beyond necessity for monetary gain. Nature is an integral part of Indigenous culture in providing essentials such as food and its significant spiritual meaning that everything within it is alive; therefore, relationships must be reciprocal. Daniel implements this into Forever Birchwood in Wolf and her grandmother’s status as treetalkers and efforts to protect the forest possessing the hideaway against her mother’s boyfriend’s company. Forever Birchwood is a fundamental and different story as it's successful in providing culturally and sexually diverse characters that readers can identify with, as well as creating a powerful mission statement in saving our planet. 

Sources

Deogun, Inderjit. “Q&A: Danielle Daniel Gets Personal with Her Middle-Grade Debut.” Quill and Quire, 3 Mar. 2022, https://quillandquire.com/authors/qa-danielle-daniel-gets-personal-with-her-middle-grade-debut/. Date Accessed March 29.

HarperCollinsCanada. “ Forever Birchwood by Danielle Daniel.” YouTube, YouTube, 30 Mar. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SstuvXPojMM&ab_channel=HarperCollinsCanada. Date Accessed March 30. 

Moran, Kimberly. “What Are Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors?” We Are Teachers, 12 Oct. 2021, https://www.weareteachers.com/mirrors-and-windows/

Olive, Andrea, and Andrew Rabe. “Indigenous Environmental Justice: Comparing the United States and Canada’s Legal Frameworks for Endangered Species Conservation.” The American Review of Canadian Studies., vol. 46, no. 4, Association for Canadian Studies in the United States, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1080/02722011.2016.1255654. Date Accessed March 30.