First Nations artist creates buzz about new Robert Munsch book

Growing buzz about a new Robert Munsch book, illustrated by First Nations artist Jay Odjick and depicting an indigenous family’s humourous battle with blackflies, has bumped up the publisher’s decision to release the book commercially by almost a year.

The release of the Guelph-based author’s book Blackflies was originally intended to be rolled out gradually, starting this spring through the Scholastic school book fair program before its commercial release next January. It’s now set to hit shelves on Mar. 31 and currently available for pre-order.

“For me, the most special part is when you hear that companies the size of Chapters-Indigo and Amazon are reaching out to Scholastic saying ‘Hey, we want this book now’,” Odjick said, adding that demand clearly shows there’s a large market for high-profile projects featuring indigenous stories.

“I think we’re at a point where you can no longer say that a book with First Nations characters in it won’t sell,” Odjick said. “This, to me, is kind of the proof of reconciliation in action.”

Odjick grew up in the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg community in Quebec and, when not traveling for work, still calls it home. He started drawing as a little kid and received his first rejection letter from Marvel at age 10. Since then he’s become known for his work as a writer, artist and television producer, most notably for his creation of Kagagi, part of a growing collective of superheroes created by Native American writers and artists.

Association with a high-profile writer such as Munsch, not to mention backing by publishing giant Scholastic, should certainly raise the profile of a book launch but it seems that credit is largely due to Odjick’s steady promotion through traditional and social media channels.

The enthusiastic demand has even raised the eyebrows of Diane Kerner, Munsch’s editor of 20 years and vice president, Publishing at Scholastic Canada Ltd.

“We knew it would be a hit – it’s a funny story and Robert Munsch’s books are always popular. We didn’t anticipate how much excitement would be generated by Jay’s involvement, especially on social media. It was a wonderful surprise, and we’re very happy when people are talking about our books,” said Kerner.

Although his plate was full in terms of work, Odjick said he couldn’t miss out on the opportunity when Scholastic approached him with the offer.

“I’ve never heard of a First Nations artist working with Robert Munsch – or any writer of that scale – on a project that involves First Nations characters,” he said. “You can’t really pass up on something like that.”

Odjick said he felt the opportunity was a way to positively represent indigenous artists and First Nations characters in mainstream publishing. Growing up, he said, he rarely saw characters that looked like him.

Additionally, the benefits of working on such a prominent project would open doors and create market opportunities not only for other indigenous creators, but also for publishers and retailers.

“It’s a good, fun, funny story. It can only help create a bridge between First Nations and the rest of Canadians. I hope people enjoy the book,” Odjick said.

Odjick previously worked with Munsch on a series of seven books published in Ojibway through Sault College that included Blackflies almost a decade ago before Scholastic purchased the rights.

“When Scholastic chose the story, we knew that Jay no longer had the original illustrations – but he had kept some sketches and we thought they were great,” Kerner recalled. “Robert agreed; he says that Jay's art perfectly captures the spirit of the book. We enjoyed working with Jay on this project and we are talking about other projects already.”

Learn more about Jay’s work at http://kagagi.squarespace.com.

For more information about the book, visit http://robertmunsch.com/poem-story/blackflies.