Description
The Big Tease written by Métis author Wilfred Burton includes a Michif translation by Norman Fleury, Michif Elder and gifted Michif storyteller. This book is illustrated by George Gingras. The Big Tease is a timeless story about teasing, which often involves family. Time with family has always been important to Métis families and in this story it is the arrival of family - cousins, aunts and uncles that sets the scene for a big tease. Like most families, there is usually at least one person who likes to tease others. In this story, based on events that actually happened in 1893, it is Eliza, grandmother to author Wilfred Burton, and cousin to Édouard Beaupré, who liked to tease. The Big Tease provides a lovely human touch to Édouard Beaupré’s life before his fame as the “Willow Bunch Giant” and his early tragic death took him from his beloved family. He was very tall at 2.52 metres. Wilfred Burton’s imaginative and descriptive narrative passes his grandmother’s story to today’s generation of story lovers. Illustrator George Gingras brings this true but somewhat embellished story to life with colourful images reflective of the Métis lifestyle at the time. A glossary, author and illustrator information and some notes are included. A CD of this story can be located in the book.