I feel very lucky to have had a chance to chat with multi-disciplinary Anishinaabe artist and author-illustrator Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley about how the illustrations came together for the adorable Mooz / Moose, translated by Mary Ann Corbiere. Enjoy a peek at the process and learn more about our favorite cat named Moose!
About the book:
Mooz is just a cat ... or is she?
I know a cat named Mooz, which means moose in Anishinaabemowin. But is she really a moose? Mooz races like a hare, sneaks through tall grass like a snake and caws like a jay. So which animal is she?
I know a cat named Mooz, which means moose in Anishinaabemowin. But is she really a moose? Mooz races like a hare, sneaks through tall grass like a snake and caws like a jay. So which animal is she?
Let's talk Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley!
LTPB: Where did the idea for Mooz / Moose come from? How does this story connect to your debut book Boozhoo! / Hello!?
MPS: I had always wanted to write a story about Mooz that highlighted her wild adventures and unique personality as she has had a pretty adventurous and unique life for a cat. But, this isn’t so much a story-driven book, it’s more about her name. People often ask me about Mooz and I explain her name is the Anishinaabe word for Moose. The comparison of a large majestic moose to a small cat is pretty humorous so I thought it would be fun to play with that. I feel her name suits her well, she’s got a big personality and she’s pretty majestic but at the same time she’s not much like a moose at all. The comparison using Mooz's name to the characteristics of a moose and other woodland animals lent itself wonderfully to a language book in a similar format of Boozhoo! / Hello!.
I knew I wanted to build on Boozhoo! / Hello! and expand it into a series so I actually submitted three more manuscripts to Groundwood at the same time. This one, and another Wiisni-Daa! / Let's Eat! (March 2027) got picked up right away. I would like to continue adding to the series as time goes on so there is potential for more. Story-wise, there isn’t really anything that connects the books, they are mainly connected by the language. Their intent is to introduce anishinaabemowin to toddlers in a fun and playful way. So they are great stand alone books that also fit together nicely in a series.
LTPB: What did you find most difficult in creating this book? What did you find most rewarding?
MPS: The most difficult part of creating this book was actually coming up with new engaging animals to compare Mooz to. At first I didn’t have any real specific constraints — they weren’t even all animal comparisons — but as I began re-writing the drafts I wanted to keep it to animals you could find within woodland ecosystems of the great lakes region. A couple examples I had in my rough drafts were yawning like a tiger or sitting like a loaf of bread, which were great comparisons but in the end didn’t fit the theme. Another consideration was using animals that weren’t previously featured in Boozhoo! / Hello! to expand on the anishinaabemowin vocabulary in the series. It also felt important to include animals whose actions were true to Mooz and reflected her character.
The most rewarding part of creating this book is being able to share Mooz with the world. She is already a star within mine and my families life and I am excited for people to learn more about her and her adventures. I am thrilled with the overall illustrations of Mooz, they really capture her likeness and spirit. When I received my first copy of Mooz / Moose I put it up next to Boozhoo! / Hello! and was very proud to see the continuity of the book series side by side. My daughter immediately asked for me to read it to her, and we started practicing the new words together. It’s cool to witness this series grow, a series I initially started because of my daughter, and to utilize it as a tool to teach her our language.
LTPB: What did you use to create the illustrations in this book? Is this your preferred medium? How does your process change from book to book?
MPS: I created these illustrations using my tablet. As of now it is my preferred medium mainly because it allows me to work from anywhere. I like having the flexibility of working at home or at my studio or even on a road trip with my family. It’s also great because there’s plenty of brushes you can download that do a pretty good job at mimicking more traditional mediums so you can get some good textures and brush strokes. I also like that it’s a fluid process of switching between brushes and colours without the mess so I find myself in a flow state more often.
That being said it isn’t quite the same as traditional methods and that’s something I have been thinking about often lately. I would like to do a book in the future with pastels and pencil crayons or watercolours. I’d like to explore that more. I started my art practice with paints and it would be nice to move back in that direction.
Book to book I wouldn't say my process changes too much but each book does has a life of it’s own and my illustrations tend to reflect that.
LTPB: What are you working on now? Anything you can show us?
MPS: Right now I’m working on a few different projects. I just wrapped up Wiisni-Daa! / Let's Eat! which I mentioned earlier. It’s the next book in this series. It follows a girl and her family as they make meals throughout the day celebrating family, food and connection.
I’m also working on illustrating my first graphic novel titled Indians Do Cry, to be published with Swift Water Books. The book explores the profound effects of residential school on George, who was taken from his family at age seven to attend Pelican Lake Indian Residential School in northern Ontario. Hockey became his refuge during those challenging years, offering an outlet for his endurance and spirit. His son Mike faced the ripple effects of intergenerational trauma but found strength in his own hockey journey, eventually playing for the Estonian national team and pursuing a doctoral degree at McGill University. Through their father-son relationship, Indians Do Cry weaves a story of survival and reconciliation, framed as a sports memoir to resonate with Canada’s hockey-loving audience. The book is written by Duncan McCue.
Continuing on the graphic novel train, I just signed a deal with Swift Water books for my first author/illustrator YA graphic novel. I’m currently finishing the manuscript and will be illustrating it next year. It’s titled Lil’ Sabe and is about a teen bigfoot (sabe in anishinaabemowin) who decides to come to the human world in disguise and become a famous rapper to save his world from an environmental disaster. With the help of an Indigenous girl, Memegwans, they set of on an adventure writing bars and performing shows, fighting forest fires and wiindigos, all while navigating the complexities of being a teen.
LTPB: If you got the chance to write your own picture book autobiography, who (dead or alive!) would you want to illustrate it, and why?
MPS: If I had a chance had a chance to write my own picture book I would actually pass the writing task on to my wife Maria-Margaretta. Not only is she an amazing author (we have a book coming out together in 2029) but she also knows me better than anyone and would be able to give a pretty honest and perhaps humours retelling. I would get my daughter Mino to illustrate it. At 3 years old she is already exploring many artistic styles and she loves coming up with stories on the whim. We love drawing together and she's actually written and illustrated a couple books of her own already (with a tiny bit of my help) - Me & My Mom is my favourite.
MPS: I had always wanted to write a story about Mooz that highlighted her wild adventures and unique personality as she has had a pretty adventurous and unique life for a cat. But, this isn’t so much a story-driven book, it’s more about her name. People often ask me about Mooz and I explain her name is the Anishinaabe word for Moose. The comparison of a large majestic moose to a small cat is pretty humorous so I thought it would be fun to play with that. I feel her name suits her well, she’s got a big personality and she’s pretty majestic but at the same time she’s not much like a moose at all. The comparison using Mooz's name to the characteristics of a moose and other woodland animals lent itself wonderfully to a language book in a similar format of Boozhoo! / Hello!.
MPS: The most difficult part of creating this book was actually coming up with new engaging animals to compare Mooz to. At first I didn’t have any real specific constraints — they weren’t even all animal comparisons — but as I began re-writing the drafts I wanted to keep it to animals you could find within woodland ecosystems of the great lakes region. A couple examples I had in my rough drafts were yawning like a tiger or sitting like a loaf of bread, which were great comparisons but in the end didn’t fit the theme. Another consideration was using animals that weren’t previously featured in Boozhoo! / Hello! to expand on the anishinaabemowin vocabulary in the series. It also felt important to include animals whose actions were true to Mooz and reflected her character.
LTPB: What did you use to create the illustrations in this book? Is this your preferred medium? How does your process change from book to book?
MPS: I created these illustrations using my tablet. As of now it is my preferred medium mainly because it allows me to work from anywhere. I like having the flexibility of working at home or at my studio or even on a road trip with my family. It’s also great because there’s plenty of brushes you can download that do a pretty good job at mimicking more traditional mediums so you can get some good textures and brush strokes. I also like that it’s a fluid process of switching between brushes and colours without the mess so I find myself in a flow state more often.
Book to book I wouldn't say my process changes too much but each book does has a life of it’s own and my illustrations tend to reflect that.
LTPB: What are you working on now? Anything you can show us?
MPS: Right now I’m working on a few different projects. I just wrapped up Wiisni-Daa! / Let's Eat! which I mentioned earlier. It’s the next book in this series. It follows a girl and her family as they make meals throughout the day celebrating family, food and connection.
I’m also working on illustrating my first graphic novel titled Indians Do Cry, to be published with Swift Water Books. The book explores the profound effects of residential school on George, who was taken from his family at age seven to attend Pelican Lake Indian Residential School in northern Ontario. Hockey became his refuge during those challenging years, offering an outlet for his endurance and spirit. His son Mike faced the ripple effects of intergenerational trauma but found strength in his own hockey journey, eventually playing for the Estonian national team and pursuing a doctoral degree at McGill University. Through their father-son relationship, Indians Do Cry weaves a story of survival and reconciliation, framed as a sports memoir to resonate with Canada’s hockey-loving audience. The book is written by Duncan McCue.
Continuing on the graphic novel train, I just signed a deal with Swift Water books for my first author/illustrator YA graphic novel. I’m currently finishing the manuscript and will be illustrating it next year. It’s titled Lil’ Sabe and is about a teen bigfoot (sabe in anishinaabemowin) who decides to come to the human world in disguise and become a famous rapper to save his world from an environmental disaster. With the help of an Indigenous girl, Memegwans, they set of on an adventure writing bars and performing shows, fighting forest fires and wiindigos, all while navigating the complexities of being a teen.
MPS: If I had a chance had a chance to write my own picture book I would actually pass the writing task on to my wife Maria-Margaretta. Not only is she an amazing author (we have a book coming out together in 2029) but she also knows me better than anyone and would be able to give a pretty honest and perhaps humours retelling. I would get my daughter Mino to illustrate it. At 3 years old she is already exploring many artistic styles and she loves coming up with stories on the whim. We love drawing together and she's actually written and illustrated a couple books of her own already (with a tiny bit of my help) - Me & My Mom is my favourite.
A moose-sized thanks to Mangeshig for taking time to answer some questions! Mooz / Moose publishes TODAY from Groundwood Books!
Special thanks to Mangeshig and Groundwood for use of these images!
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