Joe and Cody, two young Cree brothers whose previous adventures in the boreal landscape of northern Manitoba were chronicled in Caribou Song / atíhko níkamon and Dragonfly Kites / Kíweegínapíseek, return in this third bilingual picture-book from Tomson Highway. As Joe and his mother cuddle on the family sled, Cody and his father are out on the ice, working to position their fishing net between the two holes they've bored through that ice. When a fox suddenly appears, the sled dogs give chase, carrying Joe and the boys' mother with them. Now Cody and his father must also give chase, leaving their net behind...

Although it is the third title in Highway's Songs of the North Wind trilogy, which examines Joe and Cody's experiences living with their mother and father on the land, Fox on the Ice / mahkesís mískwamíhk e-cípatapít is only the second I have read, after Caribou Song / atíhko níkamon. Unfortunately, I have not been able to track down the middle title, as it is not held by any library near me, and is not available online like the other two. In any case, I found the story here engaging, and the accompanying artwork from illustrator Brian Deines lovely. There is a quiet gentleness to these stories, that set out the simple events of Joe and Cody's life together, that is very appealing, and one gets the sense of the loving bond between the members of this family, even if few words are spoken. The entire trilogy of tales was originally illustrated by Deines, although new editions of the first two books have been issued with different artwork. Here however, all editions appears to contain Deines work, although newer editions appear under a slightly different title, Fox on the Ice / Maageesees Maskwameek Kaapit. I know that with the reissue of the first title, the new edition was trilingual, adding a local Cree dialect text, in addition to the English and high Cree texts present in the original. Perhaps the newer edition of this one has English and local Cree, rather than English and high Cree? Whatever the case may be, I read the original version, and I enjoyed it. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for unusual outdoor adventure stories, and to anyone seeking First Nations/Native American stories for children. ( )