Carla Joseph

Young Woman, like many people her age, is full of curiosity, energy and strength. What happens when people around you don’t recognize that strength?

This story is about the journey of Young Woman and Turtle. They move through the seasons together and Young Woman learns that growing up takes patience and time. Leadership comes from within, but it also comes from listening to the world around you.

A Dance Through the Seasons not only leads you through the story of one girl’s path, but also through the seasonal rounds of the Dakelh (Carrier) people of British Columbia.

Educator Information
The inspiring A Dance Through the Seasons is told through story and cultural teachings by award-winning Dakelh educator Leona Prince, with dream-like illustrations from acclaimed Cree and Métis artist Carla Joseph.

Readers of all ages will admire Young Woman as she endures and learns from each of the four seasons using many traditional means. Like Young Woman, we all have something to learn – from nature, the seasons, and our Elders, when we recognize and trust in our guides.

Find all of the hidden turtles in each illustration as they guide you through her journey.

This is the second edition.

This book is available in French: Une Danse au Fil des Saisons. 

Additional Information
56 pages | 11.00" x 8.50" | Paperback | 2nd Edition

Anahareo Saves the Beaver is the lost story of how Anahareo, an Indigenous woman, helps save the beaver from extinction. Anahareo helps to initiate the conservation movement by convincing Grey Owl to adopt two beaver kits and give up trapping. She helps him raise environmental awareness around the world. The story is accompanied by some Anishinabe translations and teachings as well as some thought-provoking environmental insights which will appeal to children ages 3 to 8.

Educator Information
The publisher recommends this work for ages 3 to 8.

Translation and Indigenous Teachings are by Dennis and Elaine Mckay, Anishinabe elders, Rolling River First Nation.

Proceeds from this book go to Friends of Riding Mountain.

Additional Information
32 Pages | 8.5" x 8.5" | Paperback 

Rooted in Indigenous teachings, this stunning picture book encourages readers of all ages to consider the ways in which they live in connection to the world around them and to think deeply about their behaviors.

Addressing environmental issues, animal welfare, self-esteem and self-respect, and the importance of community, the authors deliver a poignant and universal message in an accessible way: Be a good ancestor to the world around you. Thought-provoking stanzas offer a call to action for each one of us to consider how we affect future generations. Every decision we make ripples out, and we can affect the world around us by thinking deeply about those decisions.

Awards

• 2023 Forest of Reading Blue Spruce Award
• 2023 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Awards - Children's Picture Book

Reviews
"Be A Good Ancestor is a story rooted in Indigenous teachings that ask readers to examine how they connect to the world around them and think deeply about their actions' consequences. The story looks at environmental issues, animal welfare, self-esteem and self-respect, and the importance of community making the delivery of a universal message accessible." - The Dalai Lama Center 

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 5.

This book is available in French: Laisse un bel héritage.

Additional Information
32 pages | 10.00" x 8.50" | Hardcover

“Papa, what is a Potlatch?”  

Inspired by Ts’msyen Chief William Beynon’s historic notebooks on Potlatches in the Gitxsan village of Gitsegukla, Celebrating Potlatches pairs intergenerational storytelling with beautiful illustrations to honour Indigenous traditions. From the award-winning author of Oolichan Moon and the accomplished illustrator of Be a Good Ancestor, this book recounts the 1885 Potlatch ban and the resilience of the communities who fought to keep their traditions alive. 

Reviews
“Heartfelt and timely, Celebrating Potlatches gifts readers with cultural teachings through an intergenerational account of Indigenous resilience. This book is a beautiful tribute to the author’s great-grandfather, William Beynon, whose life’s work documenting oral histories of Sm’algya̱x-speaking Peoples and their Potlatches continues to be foundational to our cultural resurgence today.” – Sm Łoodm ‘Nüüsm (Dr. Mique’l Dangeli), Sm’algya̱x language expert and Assistant Professor of Indigenous Arts at the University of Victoria

“This beautiful book shares the importance of community, culture, and identity. As you make your way through the pictures and words, they bring you to an understanding of how important the Potlatch ceremony was and continues to be for Indigenous Peoples.” – Carolyn Roberts, educator, speaker, and author of Re-Storying Education

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Through this conversational historic account, readers can learn alongside the narrator as his Papa shares his wisdom about the rich history of the Potlatch.

Curriculum Connections

• Early literacy – listening, reading, and discussing
• Art – traditional Indigenous art, drumming, and regalia
• Social studies – the 1885 Potlatch ban, history of Indigenous Peoples, connection to community
• Social responsibility – uplifting ourselves and others, honouring traditions
• Indigenous knowledge and traditions – traditional teachings, Potlatch ceremonies, intergenerational storytelling

 

Two free, downloadable lesson plans—one for kindergarten to Grade 1 and one for Grades 2 to 3—provide connections to Social Studies curriculum.

Additional Information
32 Pages | 10" x 8.5" | Hardcover 

Additional Information
40 Pages | Author-signed copy 

A lullaby of reconciliation and reclamation, celebrating the ancestral relationship between Indigenous children and the land that is forever their home.

Under glowing morning sun and silvery winter moon, from speckled frogs croaking in spring to summer fields painted with fireweed, this meditative lullaby introduces little ones to the plants and animals of the Prairies and the Plains. Featuring stunning artwork by celebrated artist Carla Joseph, Forever Our Home is a beautiful and gentle song about our spiritual connection to the land.

Reviews
A tender hymn to the prairie in all seasons...Uplifting and joyous." — Kirkus Reviews

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 5.

This book is available in a the dual-language format (English and Plains Cree): Forever Our Home / kâkikê kîkinaw

Additional Information
32 pages | 9.00" x 9.00" | Hardcover

A lullaby of reconciliation and reclamation, celebrating the ancestral relationship between Indigenous children and the land that is forever their home.

Under glowing morning sun and silvery winter moon, from speckled frogs croaking in spring to summer fields painted with fireweed, this meditative lullaby introduces little ones to the plants and animals of the Prairies and the Plains. Featuring stunning artwork by celebrated artist Carla Joseph, Forever Our Home is a beautiful and gentle song about our spiritual connection to the land.

Reviews
A tender hymn to the prairie in all seasons...Uplifting and joyous." — Kirkus Reviews

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 5.

Written in both Plains Cree and English and featuring stunning artwork by celebrated artist Carla Joseph, Forever Our Home / kâkikê kîkinaw is a beautiful and gentle song about our spiritual connection to the land.

Find the English version here: Forever Our Home

Additional Information
32 pages | 9.00" x 9.00" | Hardcover

We are all connected. Whether it is with your family, the mossy earth beneath your feet, the warm guidance of your ancestors, you belong in connection with all around you.

Along the backdrop of Haida Gwaii's breathtaking landscapes, Indigenous storyteller, Ḵung Jaadee, invites you to witness the many threads of relationship that connect us across time and space.

What makes you feel connected?

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 6+.

Includes a few word and phrases in the Haida language.

A teacher lesson plan is available here: I am Connected Teacher Lesson Plan.

This book is available in French: Je suis liée.

Additional Information
28 pages | 9.00" x 10.00" | Hardcover 

Chaque personne est liée. Qu’il s’agisse de vos relations familiales, du contact de vos pieds avec le sol ou des conseils bienveillants de vos ancêtres, vous avez des liens avec tout ce qui vous entoure. Sur fond d’époustouflants paysages de Haida Gwaii, la conteuse Kung Jaadee vous invite à découvrir les nombreux liens qui nous unissent à travers le temps et l’espace. Quels sont vos liens?

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 6+.

This book is available in English: I am Connected.

Additional Information
28 pages | 1.40" x 2.40" | Hardcover 

Les autrices abordent les questions environnementales, le bien-être des animaux, l’estime et le respect de soi, ainsi que l’importance de la communauté. Elles livrent un message touchant et universel de manière accessible : nous devons tous être de bons ancêtres pour le monde qui nous entoure. Le texte du livre présenté sous forme de strophes nous porte à réfléchir à notre manière d’influencer les générations futures. Chaque décision que nous prenons a des conséquences et nous pouvons exercer une influence sur le monde qui nous entoure en réfléchissant bien à ces décisions.

Également disponible sous le titre Be a Good Ancestor en anglais.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 5.

This book is available in English: Be a Good Ancestor.

Additional Information
32 pages | 10.00" x 8.50" | Hardcover 

Alors que les adultes se débattent avec une décision importante concernant l'avenir de leur communauté, la Jeune Femme reçoit la solution en rêve. Cependant, les adultes ne reconnaissent pas la sagesse de la Jeune Femme. Découragée, elle entreprend un voyage d'un an vers la découverte de soi et la résilience. Guidés par Tortue, ils traversent les saisons en utilisant les pratiques traditionnelles du peuple Dakelh (Porteur). Un an plus tard, la Jeune Femme revient avec plus de connaissances que jamais, mais les adultes la laisseront-ils déterminer leur avenir ?

Educator Information
Recommended for Grades 2 - 7.

This book is available in English: A Dance Through the Seasons.

Additional Information
10.50" x 8.25" | Paperback 

Prepare to embark on a journey rich with the wisdom of our ancestors and the secrets shared by Mother Earth.

In this children’s book, you will follow a path once tread by those before us, where the songs of the trees, the dance of the rivers, and our stories are carried by the wind. These teachings are invaluable treasures passed down through generations.

You’ll discover the language of animals, the lessons of plants, and the wisdom of the land. If you listen closely, you will hear the “Whispers of the Earth,” guiding you on this incredible adventure.

Educator Information
Recommended for kindergarten to grade 7.

Carl Sam advised on the language, and is “Ha7li” of the Bear Clan from Skookumchuck, part of St’at’icmulh Nation, sometimes referred to as the Interior Salish. Through this book, he shares elements of the Ucwalmícwts language.

Includes some words in Ucwalmícwts.

Additional Information
60 pages | 20 × 20 × 1 cm | Paperback | Printed locally on 100% post-consumer recycled paper.

This journal features Carla Joseph's Sasquatch design.

Additional Information

• Measurements: 5" x 7"

This journal features artist Carla Joseph's Wolf Moon design. 

Additional Information

• 5" x 7"
• 80 lined pages
• Elastic closure with bookmark
• The artist is paid a royalty on every sale