Metis author, clinical counsellor and mom Jenn Moudahi is swinging by Analog Books Jan. 9 for a book signing of her new children’s book Charlotte’s New Moccasins, which was released in October.
Stories are a common thread in her life – she writes them as an author, listens to them as a counsellor, escapes into them as a reader and allows too many at bedtime as a mom.
Growing up, the British Columbia-based author spent countless hours with her mom learning to create Indigenous art, often helping teach workshops.
According to Moudahi, the new book is about a girl named Charlotte who has grown out of her moccasins, and she’s pretty upset to find out they don’t fit anymore. “She goes to visit her grandma, and together they make moccasins for the first time.”
“Grandma teaches her how the moccasins come together, and Charlotte gets to decide on all the things, and she gets to personalize them the way she wants them. There’s a couple little moments I think are special for her along the way,” Moudahi explains.
It’s that first step of passing knowledge from one generation to another, the author notes. “The book stemmed primarily from my experience of growing up with my mom. My mom used to have a First Nations art business. She had a workshop in the house and was always crafting and creating. I got to be in that workshop with her quite often. I have a lot of wonderful memories of creating with her and learning from her.”
This marks Moudahi’s first attempt at writing a book and so far, the response has been good. “I didn’t really know how this worked and what to expect. I guess I don’t have anything to compare it to, but it seems like it’s been positive.”
The upcoming book signing event is scheduled from 1-4 p.m.
“Anybody can come and drop by. I’d love to see you. It’s a casual drop-in. Hang out as long as you want. I’ll be available to sign books if that’s what people want and to chat about books. I’ll have some moccasin making supplies if anybody wants to see or feel some leather and some rabbit fur. And my book will be there if there’s interest. If we get some kids, I’ll do a little read of the book,” Moudahi says.
Something the author is pretty stoked about is having three more books in the pipeline. “Publishing is slow, though. This is something I’m learning. My next book is actually out Feb. 2, 2027.”
“It’s called The Sleepover Rock. It draws on my experience as a counsellor and teaches a little bit of grounding via a boy who’s afraid of his best friend’s sleepover party. After that, I have two books that are unannounced, so I can’t tell you much about them yet, but they’ll be coming out in spring and summer of 2028,” the author notes.
There’s something special about writing something down and sharing it with the world, and it’s very vulnerable too, says Moudahi. “What I really like about this book is there’s a lot of themes I’m hoping kids can relate to – being your own unique self and about connecting with family. Hopefully, there’s some appreciation for the Indigenous culture and tradition of making moccasins.”
Growing up, Moudahi says there was a shortage of Indigenous characters in books. “I don’t remember reading a lot of books that either talked about Indigenous culture or even just had a main character who was Indigenous. It’s starting to shift a bit now, but I hope to add a bit more of that representation into the kids’ book market because of my experiences growing up. I’d love for kids to see themselves in a book.”
The new book is available to purchase online and in bookstores.
(Photo submitted)
