Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog

 

 

 

Written by Joseph Dandurand

Illustrated by Elinor Atkins

Nightwood Editions

978-0-889715004

32 pp.

Ages 6–8

June 2026 

 

As part of his series Kwantlen Stories Then and Now, author Joseph Dandurand, himself a member of the Kwantlen First Nation, tells the story of a clever young girl who helps her community through her relationship with a frog.

Illustration by Elinor Atkins from Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog, written by Joseph Dandurand

The community is preparing for the first fish of the season. Fires are made and nets are mended. Tsa'kwi'ah is a small girl who tries to help but she is too small. After the men go out, Tsa'kwi'ah walks along the river and sees a green frog. She smiles at it and it at her. When she touches it, she becomes strong and tall. Now she can outrun the other children and she can carry heavy fish.

Illustration by Elinor Atkins from Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog, written by Joseph Dandurand

Months later, when many of the villagers, including Tsa'kwi'ah's mother, are sick with red spots and high fevers, Tsa'kwi'ah recalls how the green frog helped her. Taking the frog to her mother and everyone in the village who was sick, Tsa'kwi'ah has them touch the frog and become healed. 

Illustration by Elinor Atkins from Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog, written by Joseph Dandurand

It is known that there are naturally occurring antibiotics secreted from the skin of some frogs so the notion of the touch of a frog being therapeutic is not far-fetched. But, as in all storytelling, it's the germ of an idea that becomes a fuller story. As Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog is told by a member of Kwantlen First Nation, I presume that this is traditional story that has been told many times and through many generations. Whether or not the details are exact—did Tsa'kwi'ah really become stronger and taller or just healthier and older?—is irrelevant. Joseph Dandurand tells the story about community, about healing from unusual sources, and about a connection with the natural world. It's about helping where and when you can, and finding your opportunities to be useful.  

Illustration by Elinor Atkins from Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog, written by Joseph Dandurand

Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog is a deeply traditional story, so Elinor Atkins's artwork complements it with her brightly coloured illustrations that blend the traditional with the organic. Elinor Atkins, also a member of the Kwantlen First Nation, tells more about the story and the community, using line, shapes and colour to take readers to Tsa'kwi'ah's home.

Though Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog  is the first of the Kwantlen Stories Then and Now that I have reviewed, there are four earlier books with more stories to tell. I encourage young readers and those who teach them to look at the whole series. As traditional stories, they keep the stories of a people alive and put to paper that which is usually shared through oral storytelling. 

 

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Kwantlen Stories Then and Now

The Sasquatch, the Fire and the Cedar Baskets (2020)

A Magical Sturgeon (2022)

The Girl Who Loved the Birds (2023)

The Bears and the Magic Masks (2024)

Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog (2026)