First Nations stories
Caribou Girl
In this authentic tale of the nomadic Inuit people, Caribou Girl relies on traditional values and her own instincts to find the Caribou herds her people depend on.
Carry me, Mama
As a baby, Katie went everywhere with her mother, snuggled close in her parka. Then one day her mother told her she was a big girl now and could walk.
Frog Girl
When the frogs suddenly vanish from the lake behind her village, a young Native American girl is led to the frog village underneath the lake and learns what she must do to save both the frogs and her own people.
Gray Wolf's Search
In this richly illustrated picture book, young Gray Wolf lives on the Pacific Northwest coast with the other members of the Wolf Clan. His uncle, the clan shaman, tells Gray Wolf that his future success depends on completing an important tastk--he must find a very important person and get to know him well. In his search for this person, Gray Wolf enlists the help of his brothers and sisters in the woods and waters--Eagle, Bear, Whale, Beaver, Owl and Wolf. Each of them gives Gray Wolf an important clue to the identity of the person he seeks. When he returns to his clan, an older and wiser Gray Wolf takes the talking stick from his uncle and shares his new wisdom.
Hidden buffalo
Chosen as the 2004 Alberta Children's Book of the Year, this memorable coming-of-age story, based on a traditional Cree story, tells of a young man who must believe in his dreams in order to find the lost buffalo and save his people.
Kitaq goes ice fishing
Kitaq is not yet six years old when his grandfather takes him ice fishing for the first time, carrying on a long-lived tradition among the Yupik people.
Nokum Is My Teacher
Nokum Is My Teacher is the poetic story of a young aboriginal boy, posing questions to his grandmother, his "Nokum", about the wider world beyond the familiarity of their home and community. Through a series of questions, Nokum guides her grandson towards an understanding of his need to fit into and learn more about this large world beyond the reserve. Nokum offers her grandson a vision of a world he can enter through imagination and reading, while retaining respect for the ways of his people.
Secret of the Dance
In 1935, a native boy and his family are whisked away to a secret location where they witness a potlatch, a special ceremony which was outlawed at the time.
Shi-shi-etko
In just four days young Shi-shi-etko will have to leave her family and all that she knows to attend residential school. She spends her last days at home treasuring the beauty of her world – the dancing sunlight, the tall grass, each shiny rock, the tadpoles in the creek, her grandfather’s paddle song. Her mother, father and grandmother, each in turn, share valuable teachings that they want her to remember. And so Shi-shi-etko carefully gathers her memories for safekeeping.
Richly hued illustrations complement this gently moving and poetic account of a child who finds solace all around her, even though she is on the verge of great loss – a loss that native people have endured for generations because of the residential schools system.
The drum calls softly
Discover the beauty of the traditional Round Dance through the lush descriptive verse of Bouchard and Willier that leads you through the cycles and seasons of life, the forming of new friendships and the understanding of values.
The Gift Of The Inuksuk
As unique and beautiful as a snowflake or footprint, an Inuksuk (inNUKshuk) is one of the stone figures that can be seen dotting the Artic region. The Inuksuit (inNUKsweet) purposes are varied, from earthly uses such as to form a greeting, a guidepost or a warning to those of the spirit such as sites of reverence. Author Mike Ulmer explores the connectedness of all Artic life in this tale about a young Inuit girl, Ukaliq, who guides her people to a successful caribou hunt with more than a little help from the Inuksuit.
The Song Within My Heart
Renowned Native painter Allen Sapp's inspired and stunning artwork beautifully complements this sweet story of a boy preparing for his first powwow. The young boy's Nokum -- his beloved grandmother -- guides him through the events of the day and helps him to understand what the singing and dancing are about. Award-winning author David Bouchard adds rhythmic and informative text based on remembrances from Allen Sapp's own Cree childhood.
The Table Where Rich People Sit
A girl discovers that, although her family is poor, they are rich in things that matter in life, especially being outdoors and experiencing nature.
The wave of the Sea-Wolf
Kchokeen, a Tlingit princess, is rescued from drowning by a guardian spirit that later enables Kchokeen to summon a great wave and save her people from hostile strangers. Intricate paper cut illustrations tell the story of the first contact with Europeans.
Turtle's race with Beaver
When Beaver challenges Turtle to a swimming race for ownership of the pond, Turtle outsmarts Beaver, and Beaver learns to share.
Yetsa's sweater
On a fresh spring day, young Yetsa, her mother and her grandmother gather to prepare the sheep fleeces piled in Grandma's yard. As they clean, wash and dry the fleece, laughter and hard work connect the three generations. Through Yetsa's sensual experience of each task, the reader joins this family in an old but vibrant tradition: the creation of Cowichan sweaters.
