DALMENY — Arnolda Dufour Bowes has always been known for her creativity and desire to try new things.
Though Métis author Dufour Bowes now resides in Dalmeny, Sask., she’s lived in various parts of the world, including Saudi Arabia and New Zealand. She’s worked in a variety of jobs, including nursing and construction.
Glimpses into the author’s upbringing are revealed in her latest book titled Maggie Lou, Firefox, which was released Oct. 3.
“They’re all based on my stories growing up,” Dufour Bowes said of the three main segments of Maggie Lou, Firefox, which are further divided up into several chapters each.
Maggie Lou, Firefox, published by Groundwood Books, is aimed at readers ages 9 to 12.
In the author’s notes, in the back of the 216-page book, Dufour Bowes explains she has written about her youth.
“Maggie Lou is a vivid picture of some of my experiences growing up as a young girl in a colourful Métis family in Saskatchewan,” she wrote. “All her stories are genuine, but may have been changed or embellished to benefit the reader and the story.”
Dufour Bowes, who has three children and four step-children, “slipped in a few of my daughters’ exploits, as the apples didn’t fall far from the tree,” she said.
“They are just as fiery and mischievous as their mother. All the characters in Maggie’s family reflect someone special in my life, and I hope you enjoyed meeting them.”
Dufour Bowes also offers some advice to readers.
“Do not go through life being a small version of yourself,” she said. “Be fierce, be strong and be unapologetically your beautiful and intelligent self.”
The first section of Maggie Lou, Firefox is titled “Boxer In A Tutu”.
Here is where we meet 12-year-old Maggie Lou, who is nicknamed Firefox by family members for her constant and frequent wacky adventures.
Maggie Lou is thrilled when her Moshom eventually invites her to the gym so he can give her some boxing lessons.
Maggie Lou, who shows up wearing a tutu, doesn’t mind being teased by the boys at the gym for her outfit. She proves she can take the teasing and give it back as well.
Early on in the book Maggie Lou informs readers that she is very creative.
A section reads:
According to my teachers, I’m a “determined leader, courageously brave and firm in my beliefs,” even though some of my classmates say I’m just bossy and stubborn.
But my mom tells me, “Keep taking up space, Maggie. You’re only making room for the girls behind you.”
Section two of the book is titled “A Girl And Her Hammer”.
It is in this segment that we see Maggie Lou start to help out at her father’s construction sites.
Her cousin Jayda, who works for Maggie Lou’s father, is the first woman in the family to work in construction.
I look up to Jayda, said Maggie Lou. She’s always encouraging me to try new things, to be brave and step out of the box. I’m not sure what box she’s talking about, so I just keep trying new things and being brave.
Maggie Lou’s bravery is required in section three of the book titled “Prairiewalker, Sister of Bushwalker”.
During this part of the book, readers see Maggie Lou’s affinity for hunting. She’s ecstatic when she’s permitted to go on her first deer hunting excursion.
Though thrilled with the prospect of hunting, Maggie Lou has mixed emotions once she realizes the process of butchering, taking the meat off a deer so it can be served as a meal.
I can love animals, care for them and the environment, yet be at peace knowing I carry on traditions thousands of years old when I hunt food for my family and me, she said. Hunting is a gift.
Though the book is aimed at pre-teens, Dufour Bowes said Maggie Lou, Firefox can be enjoyed by all ages.
“It’s for everyone,” she said. “I’m hoping other people get a little look into our (Métis) culture and our humour. And I think I want adults to remember what it was like being adventurous and curious.”
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