Visions of the Crow (Dreams, Book 1)

Written by Wanda John-Kehewin

Illustrated by nicole marie burton

Lettering by Kielamel Sibal

HighWater Press (Portage & Main)

978-1-774920459

80 pp.

Ages 12+

April 2023 

Damon Quinn is a teen who is burdened with challenges that are not of his doing. His mother, Marnie, drinks and doesn't always ensure there's food in the house. At school, he's tormented by a bully Marcus who thinks it's clever to call him an Indian in the cupboard. And there's a crow that seems to be watching him. Damon meets Journey who comes to his defense, saying they should stick together even if he isn't fully Indigenous. When she calls him the Métis Crow Whisperer, he decides to ask his mother about his heritage.

From Visions of the Crow by Wanda John-Kehewin, illus. by nicole marie burton

Though Marnie has always been reluctant to talk about her family and Damon's, and she suggests he's better off without them, she reveals that she is Cree from Alberta, and his father was Métis. When she got pregnant at 17, she left her dysfunctional family on the reserve and she and his father moved to Vancouver. When Damon was four, his dad left to return to the reserve and made a new family with another woman.

From Visions of the Crow by Wanda John-Kehewin, illus. by nicole marie burton

Marnie recognizes that "sometimes when you run from things you run too far the other way" (pg. 21) and that maybe it would be beneficial for Damon to talk to someone. She suggests that this might be especially important to him after he has several visions that he doesn't understand, some when he's sleeping, others when he's awake, that place him in the time of his ancestors. Perhaps it's as he's been told, that the crow is a messenger from his ancestors that they are waiting to help him. 

 

Damon meets with a counsellor named Craig Ben Bolton who helps Damon see the meaning in his visions while also appearing in them. Damon sees his ancestors debating the signing of Treaty 6, juggling whether to starve or lose their land. He meets his great uncle who instructs him in honouring the drum. He witnesses the pain of his great-great-grandmother as a child at residential school. And while he learns about his family's past and Marnie becomes more forthcoming of her own history, Damon discovers the impact of intergenerational (a.k.a. transgenerational or historical) trauma on his mother and now him.

This trauma flows through the bloodlines and into you, Damon. (pg. 63)

From Visions of the Crow by Wanda John-Kehewin, illus. by nicole marie burton

Visions of the Crow is a powerful graphic novel of how the past is never in the past completely. Its impact can be far-reaching whether because of multigenerational trauma or through the learning of important lessons or passing on of cultural traditions or by framing who we are as individuals. And with visions that take him into the past experiences of his ancestors, Damon draws knowledge which can lead to healing and to growth for both Damon and his mother. As such, author Wanda John-Kehewin has made Visions of the Crow a story of family, albeit one that can go back generations and into the future. 

 

There is much darkness in Visions of the Crow and graphic artist nicole marie burton gives that shadow quality to their illustrations with their choice of palette and expressive characters that feel so much. There is much to feel in the story and art of Visions of the Crow and nicole marie burton's art takes us from a tenuous home situation to bullying at school and from anger at the unknown to the delicacy that comes from enlightenment, all while taking the reader from Damon's contemporary life into the past with ease.

 

Visions of the Crow is just the first book in this new graphic novel series–Damon's story continues in the second book, Visions From the Fire–and I anticipate more learning and healing to come for Damon and his family. Maybe it will come through surreal visions again or maybe through very real connection with living family but, whatever way Wanda John-Kehewin decides to take Damon's story, it will be forward.

Road Allowance Era (A Girl Called Echo, Vol. 4)

Written by Katherena Vermette

Illustrated by Scott B. Henderson

Colour by Donovan Yaciuk

HighWater Press

978-1-55379-930-6

48 pp.

Ages 10-14

April 2021

 

In the aftermath of the Northwest Resistance, the focus of the third book in Katherena Vermette's A Girl Called Echo graphic novel series, the accidental time traveller Echo returns to 1855 to join her ancestors and other Métis and witness the execution of Louis Riel and the sustained persecution and discrimination of her people.

From Road Allowance Era by Katherena Vermette, illus. by Scott B. Henderson, colour by Donovan Yaciuk

Though Louis Riel had advocated for the Métis' rights to land granted to them, most scrips entitling them to land in the Red River area have not been honoured. So Echo joins them in returning to Manitoba, hopeful that the agents now set up would ensure that land deeds would be issued to them.

From Road Allowance Era by Katherena Vermette, illus. by Scott B. Henderson, colour by Donovan Yaciuk

But the discrimination that they have faced all along continues, with their scrips only exchanged for a few dollars and provisions. So the Métis head to Ste. Madeleine where they hope they might rebuild their community.

Time slipping back to the present, Echo's teacher speaks of the unsettling of the Métis and their need to squat on unused Crown lands called road allowance land. Later, though they'd lived there for decades, they are often driven off with violence. Echo's anger at the injustice is palpable though her friend Micah sees the fortitude of their people who were able to withstand so much and still survive.

From Road Allowance Era by Katherena Vermette, illus. by Scott B. Henderson, colour by Donovan Yaciuk

Still she witnesses much destruction and sadness as the Métis are displaced and then refused the opportunity to buy the land on which they had built lives. 

We are the free people, mon amie. We built this place and we will always be here. No matter what they have done to us, we're still here. We know we will survive. (pg. 38)

From Road Allowance Era by Katherena Vermette, illus. by Scott B. Henderson, colour by Donovan Yaciuk

Her existence reminds them of that survival, with her ancestors pointing out that they are always within her as there is "blood memory, bone memory" (pg. 29) of their sorrows and their strengths. "Go home and be the future" (pg. 40) is what she is told.

The story of the Métis is heartbreaking, as Echo has learned from her time slips into the past. History class and homework rile her, as they should for anyone with a sense of justice. But Katherena Vermette doesn't just let Echo wallow in anger or distress. She helps her accept that anger as valid but see the strength of her people and the change that has happened for each generation. 

 

Scott B. Henderson's illustrations take us smoothly between past and present, clearly depicting a contemporary Echo and her immediate family and friends versus her ancestors in their settings of prairie scenes of wagons and tipis, and dismal government buildings like courts and land offices. There is an authenticity in his characters that acknowledge the hardships but allude to the joys and colour of Métis culture. Coloured by Donovan Yaciuk, there is a sense of brightness at the edges of the past and the present that lay bare much about what was and is.

From Road Allowance Era by Katherena Vermette, illus. by Scott B. Henderson, colour by Donovan Yaciuk

This is the way to learn history, from those who lived it and those who came from them. Though the horrors of the past might offer extraordinary teachable moments, they also point forward, to a future that offers more hope with each generation. The present may still be troubled with discrimination as land claims continue to be challenged but, as Scott B. Henderson's final illustrations shows us, Echo has her family, past and present, behind her.

• • • • • • •

The whole series A Girl Called Echo offers unique opportunities to teach and learn about Métis history. I encourage teachers to examine the whole series.

Pemmican Wars (2017)

Red River Resistance (2018)

Northwest Resistance (2020)

Road Allowance Era (2021)

Second Story Press Indigenous Writing Contest

Publisher Second Story Press is holding its third annual contest for unpublished works for young people by Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) writers who are citizens or permanent residents of Canada.

 

Previous winners include:

 

Jodie Callaghan for The Train

 and

Michael Hutchinson for The Mighty Muskrats Mystery series

 

Here are most of the details you'll need to submit a manuscript:

 

What?  

• A previously unpublished, original manuscript of fiction or non-fiction which cannot be under consideration for publication by another publisher.        

• Submission must be written for young readers ages 5 to 18.          

• The jury will be particularly looking for stories with an urban setting. (Not looking for stories that rhyme or stories with anthropomorphized animals.)

• Send the complete manuscript but, if submitting a picture book manuscript, illustrations need not be provided.

• Submissions must be in English, or provide an English translation.

 

 

Who?

• Writers must be Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents, 18 years of age or older and living in Canada. (Unfortunately, due to contest regulations, residents of Quebec are excluded.)

 

 

When?

• Submitted digitally (email or Google form) or postmarked by May 14, 2021.

(Deadline was previously April 16 before it was extended.)

• Winner will be announced on  June 24, 2021.

How to submit?

• Copy of manuscript by post with entry form (link here) to 

Second Story Press
20 Maud Street, Suite 401
Toronto, ON, M5V 2M5
Attn: Indigenous Writing Contest

or

• By email to contest@secondstorypress.ca with entry form (link here)

or

• By Google form (link here)

Prize?

• A publishing contract from Second Story Press

 

 

Selection?

By jury of Jodie Callaghan, Nancy Cooper and Margie Wolfe

Details about this year's contest are posted at www.secondstorypress.ca/indigenous-contest

 

Good luck!

Red River Resistance (A Girl Called Echo Vol. 2)

Written by Katherena Vermette

Illustrated by Scott B. Henderson

Colour by Donovan Yaciuk

HighWater Press

978-1-55379-747-0

49 pp.

Ages 10-14

November 2018

Echo Desjardins's story began in Pemmican Wars (HighWater Press, 2017), the first  volume of Katherena Vermette's A Girl Called Echo graphic novel series. Echo is a thirteen-year-old Métis girl placed in foster care, dealing with her new circumstances when she repeatedly time slips onto the prairies of the early 19th c. Métis as they hunt bison and are thrust into the Pemmican Wars.  Red River Resistance continues Echo's story, this time plunging the teen into the famous altercation of 1869-1870.

From Red River Resistance by Katherena Vermette, illus. by Scott B. Henderson, col. by Donovan Yaciuk

As their teacher, Mx. Francois, begins their lesson on the selling of seven million acres by the Hudson Bay Company to Canada, Echo is transported to the Red River colony in 1869 where she witnesses land surveyors, on behalf of the Crown and Dominion of Canada, confronted by Louis Riel and others for trespassing on Métis land. Though Echo returns to the present day to sign up for the Indigenous Student Leadership group and continue with her daily activities, she is transported multiple times to the Red River settlement where the Métis resistance progresses from the taking of Upper Fort Garry through the organizing of a provisional government and the attacks after the trial and execution of Thomas Scott.

From Red River Resistance by Katherena Vermette, illus. by Scott B. Henderson, col. by Donovan Yaciuk

Though the history of the Red River Resistance of 1869-1870 is well documented in the timeline provided at the conclusion of the book, along with a map and the 1870 Métis Bill of Rights, telling the basics of that conflict in a graphic novel format, emphasizing the illustrations with limited dialogue, is clever as it leaves room for discussion and enquiry.  Moreover, because Katherena Vermette embeds Echo's own life of struggles in the basics of the resistance, Red River Resistance becomes more an echo of fitting in amidst conflict than simply teaching history. With Scott B. Henderson's illustrations, coloured by Donovan Yasiuk, the story is fuller. It is realistic but goes beyond an illustrated encyclopedic entry. It reveals an inclusivity of people and story and takes the perspective away from the history textbooks and into that of the people who endured the injustices and strife thrust upon them.

From Red River Resistance by Katherena Vermette, illus. by Scott B. Henderson, col. by Donovan Yaciuk

••••••••••••••••••••••
Volume 3 in the series, Northwest Resistance, is set for a November 2019 release.

Honouring Aboriginal ways: Cultural competence with diverse youngCanLit

This is the final booklist that I have compiled as part of my presentation at the Ontario Library Association's Superconference in Toronto recently all with the aim of helping individuals, schools and other institutions become culturally competent.

Today's post will focus on...

Akilak’s Adventure
by Deborah Kigjugalik Webster
Illus. by Charlene Chua
Inhabit Media
32 pp.
Ages 5-7
2016
Inuit, family, travel, tundra
Review here

Coyote’s New Suit
by Thomas King
Illus. by Johnny Wales
Key Porter
40 pp.
Ages 5-8
2004
Trickster, self-acceptance

The Diamond Willow Walking Stick
by Leah Marie Dorion
Michif translation by Norman Fleury
Gabriel Dumont Institute
48 pp.
Ages 8-12
2012
Métis, generosity, Michif, dual-language

Dragonfly Kites/Pimithaagansa
by Tomson Highway
Illus. by Julie Flett
Fifth House Publishers
32 pp.
Ages 4+
2016
Cree, Northern Manitoba, summer, play
Review here

Fishing with Grandma
by Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula
Illus. by Charlene Chua
Inhabit Media
32 pp.
Ages 5-7
2016
Inuit, fishing, grandmothers, Arctic
Review here

Games of Survival: Traditional Inuit Games for Elementary Students
by Johnny Issaluk
Inhabit Media
60 pp.
Ages 7+
2012
Inuit, Arctic, games, skills, survival
Review here

Grandmother Ptarmigan
by Qaunaq Mikkigak and Joanne Schwartz
Illus. by Qin Leng
Inhabit Media
24 pp.
Ages 0-4
2013
Origin story, Inuit
Review here

The Hill
by Karen Bass
Pajama Press
256 pp.
Ages 12+
2016
Cree, survival, legends, supernatural beliefs, tolerance
Review here

I Am Not a Number
by Jenny Kay Dupuis and Kathy Kacer
Illus. by Gillian Newland
Second Story Press
32 pp.
Ages 7+
2016
Non-fiction, residential schools, First Nations
Review here

Looks Like Daylight
by Deborah Ellis
Groundwood Books
256 pp.
Ages 12+
2013
Abuse, residential schools, ostracism
Review here

Mingan My Village
Poems by Innu schoolchildren
Illus. by Rogé
Fifth House
42 pp.
Ages 7-11
2014
Innu, Mingan Indian Reserve, Quebec

Nokum is My Teacher
by David Bouchard
Art by Allen Sapp
Red Deer Press
32 pp.
All ages
2015
Cree, CD, questions, dual-language, grandmothers

Not My Girl
by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton
Illus. by Gabrielle Grimard
Annick Press
36 pp.
Ages 6-9
2014
Inuit, residential school, family, language
Review here

The Owl and the Lemming
by Roselynn Akulukjuk
Illus. by Amanda Sandland
Inhabit Media
32 pp.
Ages 5-7
2016
Owls, lemming, predator-prey
Review here

P’ésk’a and the First Salmon Ceremony
by Scott Ritchie
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2015
Sts’ailes, salmon, ceremony

The Sharing Circle
by Theresa Meuse
Illus. by Arthur Stevens
Nimbus Publishing
52 pp.
Ages 8-13
2003
First Nations, Mi’kmaq

Shi-Shi-Etko
by Nicola I. Campbell
Illus. by Kim La Fave
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2005
Residential school

Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox
by Danielle Daniel
Groundwood Books
36 pp.
Ages 4-7
2015
Anishinaabe, totem animals
Review here

Sweetest Kulu
by Celina Kalluk
Illus. by Alexandria Neonakis
Inhabit Media
32 pp.
Ages 0-4
2014
Babies, Inuit, animals, Arctic, lullaby
Review here

Downloadable booklist available here

250 Hours

Written by Colleen Nelson

Coteau Books

978-1-55-5—641-9

152 pp.

Ages 12+

September 2015

“I don’t want to set them. But it’s like if I don’t do it, something worse will happen.  Watching something burn means I’ve saved a different bad thing from happening.”  He knew it sounded crazy, but maybe she’d understand because there was hurt inside of her too. (pg. 68)

And Jess Sinclair is right.  The hurt that compels him to set fires, hence his 250 hours community service, is also in 18-year-old Sara Jean whose grandmother’s garage is being cleaned out by Jess.  But, while both deal with abandonment issues–Jess by his father eight years earlier and Sara Jean at two months of age by her mother–and have significant relationships with their grandmothers, Jess’s hurt is wrapped up in living with the double-edged discrimination of being Métis as Sara Jean deals with being shackled to small-town life as primary caregiver to her 450-lb. grandmother, Gam.

While the two teens attempt to accept their responsibilities to their families and communities, they yearn to become independent of the hurts that define their lives, and they find themselves drawn to each other, particularly after Sara Jean discovers memorabilia of her Grandpa’s teaching at the local residential school.   But everyone seems to be keeping secrets and the discrimination Sara Jean detects from her boyfriend and his family, her own Gam and Aunt Mim towards Jess and Aboriginal People compels her to learn more, especially after she finds a small pair of moccasins that, unbeknownst to her, Jess is convinced his kokum had made.

Colleen Nelson tells another powerful story (see my review of The Fall, Great Plains Teen Fiction, 2013) in 250 Hours, but focuses on small-town mindedness, the injustice of the residential schools, and family expectations in such a way that the reader will sympathize for Jess and Sara Jean who feel trapped by the stifling suffocation of their histories.  How do you break free to make a new life for yourself when there is so much holding you back?

There’s always a reason to stay.  I guess there has to be better reasons to go. (pg. 69)

Don’t be surprised if you feel enraged by the injustices perpetrated against these young people and against Aboriginal people.  That’s good because we all should be.  I suspect that 250 Hours is a truer reflection of life for many who experience blatant discrimination, whether wholesale as evoked by the residential school situations or  randomly by ignorant individuals, and for youth limited by the influence of family and peers.  Not surprising that everyone seems to know what's best for others. Thankfully, Colleen Nelson makes sure that Sara Jean's and Jess's stories are told, albeit in a fictionalized tale, to give them voice, freedom and limitless possibilities to be themselves.  It’s a powerful story of redemption where none seemed possible.

Aboriginal Perspectives in youngCanLit Picture Books

With June designated in Canada as National Aboriginal History Month, I thought it incumbent upon me to create a list of picture books, both fiction and non-fiction, that honour the heritage, achievements and cultures of the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada.  Although I know that I have not included all that I could, please accept this list of 65 titles as my small contribution to promoting this rich history.

Aboriginal Alphabet for Children 

Written by Evelyn Ballantyne
Illustrated by J. Marilyn Ross and  Noah Head

Pemmican  
32 pp.  
Ages 3-6 
2002  
Each letter reflects cultural artifacts from First Nations, Metis, and Inuit.

An Aboriginal Carol
Written by David Bouchard

Illustrated by Moses Beaver
Performed by Susan Aglukark  
Red Deer Press 
32 pp.  
Ages 4 +  
2008 
The Huron Carol reworked with an Aboriginal world . Written in English and Inuktituk.  Also available in French.

Ancient Thunder  
Written by Leo Yerxa  
Groundwood Books 
32 pp.  
Ages 7-10 
2006 
Lyrical story of horses and native dress.

At the Heart of It (The Land is Our Storybook series)
Written by Mindy Willet and Raymond Taniton
Photographs by Tessa MacIntosh
Fifth House Publishers
32 pp.
Ages 7-11 
2011 
Ramond Taniton is Sahtugot'ine of Deline, NWT and he shares their rich history.

Beyond the Northern Lights 
Written by Lynn Blaikie 
Fitzhenry & Whiteside  
24 pp.  
Ages 4-8 
2006  
Folkloric tale of Raven in a First Nations community.

The Caribou Feed Our Soul (The Land is Our Storybook series)
Written by Pete Enzoe and Mindy Willet
Photographs by Tessa MacIntosh
Fifth House Publishers
32 pp.
Ages 7-11
2010
Pete Enzoe is Chipewyan Dene from Lutsel K’e, Northwest Territories who shares stories and the history of his people and their relationship with the caribou, including going on a respectful caribou hunt.

Caribou Song

Written by Thomson Highway

Illustrated by John Rombough  
Fifth House Publishers  
32 pp.  
Ages 4+ 
2013 
Two boys are traveling across the tundra by dogsled with their parents when they find themselves in the midst of  running caribou herds.

Come and Learn With Me (The Land is Our Storybook series)
Written by Sheyenne Jumbo and Mindy Willet
Photographs by Tessa MacIntosh
Fifth House Publishers
32 pp.
Ages 7-11
2009
Nine-year-old Sheyenne shares the daily life of the Dene Yatie on Trout Lake in NWT during the fall moose season.

The Coyote Columbus Story
Written by Thomas King
Illustrated by Kent Monkman
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 7-11
2007
Humourous tale based on the arrival of Europeans and their interactions with a female Coyote and the Aboriginal Peoples.

A Coyote Solstice Tale
Written by Thomas King
Illustrated by Gary Clement
Groundwood Books
64 pp.
Ages 7-11
2009
Coyote's plans for a festive solstice with his friends go awry when they meet a girl who introduces the mayhem of Christmas shopping to them.

The Delta Is My Home: Ehdutat shanankat t'agoonch'uu 

Written by Tom McLeod and Mindy Willet
Photographs by Tessa McIntosh
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
26 pp.
Ages 7-11
2008
Eleven-year-old Tom McLeod, of Gwich'in and Inuvialuit heritage, shares his life at the Mackenzie Delta.

The Diamond Willow Walking Stick

Written by Leah Marie Dorion

Michif translation by Norman Fleury 
Gabriel Dumont Institute  
48 pp.   
Ages 8-12 
2012 
Subtitled: A Traditional Métis Story about Generosity.  Michif translation included.

The Drum Calls Softly
Written by David Bouchard and Shelley Willier

Illustrated by Jim Poitras 
Red Deer Press  
32 pp.  
Ages 8-12 
2008  
(with CD of singing and drumming by Northern Cree Singers) Spiritual journey of character as part of a traditional Cree drum dance.

Eneèko Nàmbe Ik’oò K’eèzho = The Old Man with the Otter Medicine  
Told by John Blondin as told by George Blondin

Illustrated by Archie Beaverho
Translated by Mary Rose Sundberg  
Theytus Books  
40 pp.  
Ages 5-10 
2007 
(Includes CD) Story about the medicine power of an elder who helps a small group of people to overcome the threat of starvation during a hard winter.  In Dogrib and English.

The Gathering Tree

Written by Larry Loyie with Constance Brissenden

Illustrated by Heather D. Holmlund  
Theytus Books  
48 pp.  
Ages 9-13 
2005  
Set in a Pacific Northwest coast First Nations community, a young man returns home dealing with HIV.

The Ghost and the Lone Warrior
Written by C. J. Taylor
Tundra
24 pp.
Ages 8-13
1991
Lone Warrior is tested for his courage and determination by the ghost of his ancestor.

The Gift of the Inuksuk

Written by Mike Ulmer
Illustrated by Melanie Rose  
Sleeping Bear Press 
32 pp.  
Ages 5-12 
2004  
Though not a true Inuit story, it tells how the Inuksuit (plural) came to be.

Grandmother Ptarmigan

Written by Qaunaq Mikkigak and Joanne Schwartz

Illustrated by Qin Leng  
Inhabit Media  
24 pp.   
Ages 0-4 
2013  
Inuit origin story of why ptarmigans cry, "Nauk, Nauk" and why baby ptarmigans fly so young.

Gray Wolf's Search
Written by Bruce Swanson
Illustrated by Gary Peterson
Second Story Press
24 pp.
Ages 6-8
2007
Young Gray Wolf must find an important person in order for his future to be successful.

Hidden Buffalo (Northern Lights Books for Children)

Written by Rudy Wiebe

Illustrated by Michael Lonechild  
Red Deer Press  
32 pp.  
Ages 7-10 
2003

Retelling of an ancient Cree legend of a vision where the buffalo are.

Kamik an Inuit Puppy Story  
Written by Donald Uluadluak

Illustrated by Qin Leng

Inhabit Media  
32 pp.  
Ages 4-9  
2012  
Story of an Inuit boy and his expectations for his new pup and the wisdom his grandfather shares with him.  

The Legend of Lightning and Thunder

Written by Paula Ikuutaq Rumbolt
Illustrated by Jo Rioux 
Inhabit Media  
40 pp.  
Ages 5-8 
2013  
Retelling of the Inuit myth of the creation of lightning and thunder, and the importance of caring for everyone.

The Legend of the Caribou Boy

Told by John Blondin as told by George Blondin

Illustrated by Ray McSwain

Translated by Mary Rose Sundberg  
Theytus Books  
40 pp.  
Ages 5-10 
2007  
Retelling of a traditional First Nation Dogrib tale about a young boy who leaves his family to follow a herd of Caribou. In Dogrib and English. (CD included)

The Legend of the Fog 
Written by Qaunaq Mikkigak & Joanne Schwartz
Illustrated by Danny Christopher 
Inhabit Media  
40 pp.  
Ages 7-10 
2010
From the Kiviuq legends of a man named Quannguaviniq who sees an evil spirit called tuurngaq while out on the tundra and how he attempts to escape it.

Living Stories: Godi Weghaa Ets'eeda
Written by Therese Zoe, Philip Zoe and Mindy Willet
Photographs by Tess MacIntosh
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
32 pp.
Ages 7-11
2009
Therese Zoe, a Tlicho woman from NWT, shares the sacred stories and traditional wisdom of the community's elders.

Long Powwow Nights

Written by David Bouchard, Pam Aleekuk and Patsy Paul-Martin
Illustrated by Leonard Paul 
Red Deer Press  
32 pp.  
Ages 8-14 
2009  
(Includes CD) Written in English and Mi’kmaq, the story tells of powwows and their traditions.

A Man Called Raven

Written by Richard Van Camp

Illustrated by George Littlechild

Children’s Book Press  
32 pp. 
Ages 7+ 
1997  
Set in the NWT, two boys who have been tormenting a raven are taught to respect nature by a mysterious raven man.

The Métis Alphabet Book

Written by Joseph Jean Fauchon

Illustrated by Sheldon Mauvieux 
The Gabriel Dumont Institute  
55 pp.  
Ages 4-8 
2005  
Picture history of the Métis people.

Missuk’s Snow Geese   
Written by Anne Renaud

Illustrated by Geneviève Côté  
Simply Read Books  
36 pp.  
Ages 4-8  
2008  
Missuk, a little girl in the north, dreams of carving snow geese out of soapstone.

The Moccasins

Written by Earl Einarson

Illustrated by Julie Flett 
Theytus Books  
16 pp.  
Ages 3-8 
2004 
The story of a young Aboriginal foster child who is given a special gift.

Nanabosho and the Butterflies 
Written by Joe McLellan and Matrine McLellan

Illustrated by Jackie Traverse 
Pemmican   
43 pp.  
Ages 6-11 
2010 
Ojibway tale of how butterflies came to make children laugh.

The Night Walker

Written by Richard Thompson

Illustrated by Martin Springett  
Fitzhenry & Whiteside 
32 pp.  
Ages 5-8  
2002  
Story of a young boy who goes out to walk in the forest, streams, etc. and loses track of time until he starts to hear things.  First Nations folklore.

Niwechihaw = I Help

Written by Caitlin Dale Nicholson with Leona Morin-Neilson

Illustrated by Caitlin Dale Nicholson 
Groundwood Books 
24 pp.  
Ages 4-6

2008  
Recounts the activities of a young Cree boy with his grandmother.  Written in both Cree and English.

No Borders: Kigliqangittuq (The Land is Our Storybook series)

Written by Darla Evyagotailak and Mindy Willet

Photographs by Tessa MacIntosh

Fifth House Publishers
40 pp.
Ages 7-12
2013
Teen Darla Evyagotailak, an Inuk girl, shows how communities across the border between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories are still connected, sharing a common ancestry and language. 

Nokum is My Teacher   
Written by David Bouchard

Illustrated by Allen Sapp

Red Deer Press  
32 pp.  
Ages 8-11 
2007 
(Includes CD with singing and drumming by Northern Cree.) With the help of his grandmother, Nokum, a young Cree boy learns that his schooling does not have to conflict with his Cree heritage.

Northern Lights: The Soccer Trails
Written by Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak
Illustrated by Vladyana Krykorka
Annick Press
24 pp.
Ages 4-7
1993
The mysteries of the northern lights are explained in terms of the Inuit culture.

Not My Girl

Written by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton

Illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard

Annick Press

36 pp.

Ages 6-9

2014

Story of Margaret Pokiak's return to Banks Island and her family after living in a residential school.

Orphans in the Sky (Northern Lights Book for Children)

Written by Jeanne Bushey

Illustrated by Vladyana Krykorka  
Red Deer Press  
32 pp.  
Ages 4-8 
2004  
The origin of thunder and lightning are explained in this Inuit origin tale.

Owls See Clearly at Night: A Michif Alphabet 
Written and illustrated by Julie Flett 
Simply Read Books  
56 pp.  
Ages 3-6 
2010  
Picture book celebrates the Métis people and their heritage.

Peace Walker: The Legend of Hiawatha and Tekanawita  
Written by C. J. Taylor

Tundra Books  
48 pp.  
Ages 10+ 
2004  
An Iroquois legend of how Hiawatha and Tekanawita helped the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy come together to fight evil.

Proud to be Inuvialuit: Quviahuktunga Inuvialuugama

Written by James Pokiak and Mindy Willet
Photographs by Tessa MacIntosh

Fitzhenry & Whiteside

32 pp.

Ages

2010

This easy-read non-fiction book tells of the traditional Beluga whale hunting of the Inuvialuit in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories.

The Qalupalik (The Unikkaakuluit Series)

Written by Elisha Kilabuk
Illustrated by Joy Ang  
Inhabit Media 
32 pp.  
Ages 6-8 
2011 
How a little orphan boy is nearly captured by a qalupalik, a monster of Inuit mythology.

Qu'Appelle
Written by David Bouchard
Illustrated by  Michael Lonechild
Raincoast Books
32 pp.
Ages 6-10
2002
Love story legend in which a Cree warrior leaves his betrothed who is devastated by his absence, and falls ill and dies, calling out his name over and over again.

Rainbow Crow
Written by David Bouchard
Illustrated by David Jean
Translated by David Hones
Red Deer Press
32 pp.
Ages 7-9
2012
(Includes audio CD in English, French and Ojibwe.) Retelling of the legend of Crow bringing fire to earth.

The Raven and the Loon
Written by Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley
Illustrated by Kim Smith
Inhabit Media
32 pp.
Ages 3-6
2013
An Inuit tale of how the raven and the loon came to look the way they do.

The Red Sash

Written by Jean E. Pendziwol

Illustrated by Nicolas Debon 
Groundwood Books  
32 pp.  
Ages 7-12 
2005  
A young Métis boy wants to follow in his father's footsteps and become a voyageur. Set on the western shore of Lake Superior in the early 1800s. 

A Salmon for Simon
Written by Betty Waterton
Illustrated by Ann Blades
Groundwood
32 pp.
Ages  3-7
1978/2013
Story of a Pacific Northwest boy who wants to catch a salmon but when an eagle drops one in a tidal pool, Simon must decide what he will do.

Scared Sarah (New Beginnings)   

Written by Mary Alice Downie
Illustrated by Muriel Wood 
Fitzhenry & Whiteside  
57 pp. 
Ages 9-11  
2002   
Sarah and her family live in Upper Canada in 1836 where their isolation leaves most of their interactions with the Ojibway. 

Secret of the Dance 

Written by Andrea Spalding and Alfred Scow

Illustrated by Darlene Gait  
Orca Book Publishers
32 pp.  
Ages 9-12 
2006  
A young boy, Watl’kitna, remembers how the elders of his First Nations community defied the government’s rule and secretly conducted a potlach.

The Secret of Your Name: Proud to be Métis (Kiimooch ka shinikashooyen: aen kishchitaymook aen li michif iwik)
Written by David Bouchard
Illustrated by Dennis Weber 
Red Deer Press  
32 pp.  
Ages 10-13 
2009  
While sharing his pride in his Métis heritage, the author also apologizes to his ancestor for not embracing that heritage sooner.

The Shaman’s Nephew: A Life in the Far North

Written by Simon Tookoome with Sheldon Oberman

Stoddart Publishing  
55 pp.  
Ages 9+ 
2000  
Tells of the nomadic lifestyle of the Inuit in the Far North, as lived by Simon Tookoome, including traditional stories translated from Inuktitut. 

Shi-shi-etko

Written by Nicola I. Campbell

Illustrated by Kim LaFave 
Groundwood Books
32 pp.  
Ages 5+ 
2005  
Shi-shi-etko’s family is forced to send the young girl to residential school and she does all she can to remember the wonders of her home. 

Shin-chi’s Canoe

Written by Nicola I. Campbell

Illustrated by Kim LaFave

Groundwood Books  
40 pp.  
Ages 5+ 
2008 
Shin-chi is sent off to residential school, with a canoe carved by his father. 

Skysisters   

Written by Jan Bourdeau Waboose

Illustrated by Brian Deines  
Kids Can Press 
32 pp. 
Ages 6-9 
2000  
Two Ojibway sisters go out into the cold Northern Ontario night to catch sight of the Skysisters.

A Sled Dog for Moshi
Written by Jeanne Bushey
Illustrated by Germaine Arnatauyok
Hyperion
40 pp.
Ages 4-7
1994
Moshi, an Inuk girl on Baffin Island, wishes for a pup of her own.

The Song Within My Heart

Written by David Bouchard

Illustrated by Allen Sapp 
Raincoast Books  
32 pp.  
Ages 6-10 
2002 
Based on Cree painter Allen Sapp’s childhood memories of life on a reserve in Saskatchewan and getting ready to go to a powwow. 

Tiktala

Written by Margaret Shaw-MacKinnon

Illustrated by László Gal  
Fitzhenry & Whiteside  
32 pp.  
Ages 5-10 
2005  
An Inuit girl wants to be a soapstone carver and is temporarily transformed into a harp seal to gain the right perspective for the art and nature. 

A Walk in the Tundra

Written by Anna Ziegler & Rebecca Hainnu
Illustrated by Qin Leng 
Inhabit Media 
40 pp. 
Ages 5-8 
2011 
An Inuit girl bored with waiting for her friends goes on a walk with her grandmother to pick plants for medicine and tea.

We Feel Good Out Here = Zhik Gwaa'an, Nakhwatthaiitat Gwiinzii (The Land is Our Storybook series)
Written by Julie-Ann Andre and Mindy Willet
Photographs by Tessa MacIntosh
Fifth House
26 pp.
Ages 7-11
2008
Julie-Ann Andre is Gwichya Gwich'in from Tsiigehtchic, NWT, and she shares the story of her family and her land.

When I Was Eight

Written by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton

Illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard 
Annick Press
32 pp.   
Ages 6-9 
2013 
True story of author’s experience in residential school.

Which Way Should I Go?

Written by Sylvia Olsen with Ron Martin

Illustrated by Kasia Charko 
Sono Nis Press  
40 pp.  
Ages 6-8 
2007  
When Joey’s Nootka grandmother, the most important person in his life, dies, he must find a way to deal with his grief. 

Wild Berries/Pakwa Che Menistru
Written and illustrated by Julie Flett
Translated by Earl N. Cook
Simply Read Books
32 pp.
Ages 3-6
2013
Told in English and Swampy Cree, this is the story of a boy picking blueberries with his grandmother.

Yamoòzha Eyits’o Wets’èkeè Tsà = Yamozha and His Beaver Wife

As told by Vital Thomas

Illustrated by Archie Beaulieu

Translated by Mary Siemens

Theytus Books  
48 pp.  
Ages 5-10 
2007  
(Includes CD) A tale used to help explain the naming of the landscape of the land of the Dene. In Dogrib and English. 

Yetsa’s Sweater

Written by Sylvia Olsen

Illustrated by Joan Larson 
Sono Nis Press

40 pp.  
Ages 8-10 
2006  
Yetsa helps her grandmother with all the tasks needed to knit a Cowichan sweater of the Coast Salish people of BC.

Zoe and the Fawn  
Written by Catherine Jameson

Illustrated by Julie Flett

Theytus Books  
32 pp.  
Ages 5-8 
2006 
Zoe and her father follow a fawn to learn more about it as she learns to respect nature.  Includes the Okanagan (Syilx) language terms for the animals encountered.