First Nations

Read along with Shade and Snake and learn the Long ‘a_e’ Vowel.

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for K-2.

This book is part of the Drumbeat Decodable Book Collection Series 2. 

Following the Drumbeat Decodable Series 1, the Drumbeat Decodable Series 2 also provides practice for children to become phonics-wise readers.

The Drumbeat Decodable Series 2 teach readers the long vowels (Long i_e, Long o_e, Long ee, Long ai, Long a_e, Long oa, Long u_e, and Long ea) in the context of cvc (consonant-vowel-consonant) words bringing a much-needed Indigenous Perspective to this phonics program. Each book contains a word list, high-frequency words, long vowel words, and fun activities for extended learning.

Additional Information
16 Pages | Paperback 

Read along with Snail Trail and learn the Long ‘ai’ Vowel.

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for K-2.

This book is part of the Drumbeat Decodable Book Collection Series 2. 

Following the Drumbeat Decodable Series 1, the Drumbeat Decodable Series 2 also provides practice for children to become phonics-wise readers.

The Drumbeat Decodable Series 2 teach readers the long vowels (Long i_e, Long o_e, Long ee, Long ai, Long a_e, Long oa, Long u_e, and Long ea) in the context of cvc (consonant-vowel-consonant) words bringing a much-needed Indigenous Perspective to this phonics program. Each book contains a word list, high-frequency words, long vowel words, and fun activities for extended learning.

Additional Information
16 Pages | Paperback 

Read along with Stone Goes Home and learn the Long ‘o_e’ Vowel.

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for K-2.

This book is part of the Drumbeat Decodable Book Collection Series 2. 

Following the Drumbeat Decodable Series 1, the Drumbeat Decodable Series 2 also provides practice for children to become phonics-wise readers.

The Drumbeat Decodable Series 2 teach readers the long vowels (Long i_e, Long o_e, Long ee, Long ai, Long a_e, Long oa, Long u_e, and Long ea) in the context of cvc (consonant-vowel-consonant) words bringing a much-needed Indigenous Perspective to this phonics program. Each book contains a word list, high-frequency words, long vowel words, and fun activities for extended learning.

Additional Information
16 Pages | Paperback 

Read along with The Oak Tree and learn the Long ‘oa’ Vowel.

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for K-2.

This book is part of the Drumbeat Decodable Book Collection Series 2. 

Following the Drumbeat Decodable Series 1, the Drumbeat Decodable Series 2 also provides practice for children to become phonics-wise readers.

The Drumbeat Decodable Series 2 teach readers the long vowels (Long i_e, Long o_e, Long ee, Long ai, Long a_e, Long oa, Long u_e, and Long ea) in the context of cvc (consonant-vowel-consonant) words bringing a much-needed Indigenous Perspective to this phonics program. Each book contains a word list, high-frequency words, long vowel words, and fun activities for extended learning.

Additional Information
16 Pages | Paperback 

Read along with The Ride and learn the Long ‘i_e’ Vowel.

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for K-2.

This book is part of the Drumbeat Decodable Book Collection Series 2. 

Following the Drumbeat Decodable Series 1, the Drumbeat Decodable Series 2 also provides practice for children to become phonics-wise readers.

The Drumbeat Decodable Series 2 teach readers the long vowels (Long i_e, Long o_e, Long ee, Long ai, Long a_e, Long oa, Long u_e, and Long ea) in the context of cvc (consonant-vowel-consonant) words bringing a much-needed Indigenous Perspective to this phonics program. Each book contains a word list, high-frequency words, long vowel words, and fun activities for extended learning.

Additional Information
16 Pages | Paperback 

Petit Loup se couvre les yeux. Pas besoin de regarder pour savoir ce qui se passe. Une cicatrice rugueuse bien marquée apparaîtra sur la personne, là où elle a blessé le serpent. Les serpents ont disparu, mais les cicatrices restent. Elles rappellent les dangers de laisser la peur prendre le contrôle. Petit Loup n’a pas de cicatrice. Elle est récompensée pour son calme.

Toute sa vie, Petit Loup a vu des injustices qui l’ont bouleversée. À son école, elle a été intimidée pour son héritage autochtone. Sa mère, Corbeau Blanc, a passé dix ans dans un pensionnat, séparée de sa famille et loin de sa culture. Petit Loup s’inquiète pour l’avenir de ses filles. Mais une nuit, un rêve lui rappelle son rôle important dans la communauté comme guide de paix.

Femme Ormeau est le troisième livre de la série Petit Loup, et aborde les thèmes du racisme, du traumatisme et de l’unité familiale à travers un récit à la portée des enfants. Cette histoire inspirante est racontée au moyen d’images et de symboles qui marquent l’imaginaire.

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 8.

This book is a part of the Petit Loup (Little Wolf) trilogy. It was translated from English to French by Nicole Laurendeau.

This book is available in English: Abalone Woman

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

Words bawling…Melody howling…Fierce Voice rising

Iz has everything she's ever wanted: she’s found the foster home of her dreams and is attending the prestigious music school she moved heaven and earth to get into. But secrets from her past keep threatening to spill into the present, and Iz is sure that her newfound loved ones will abandon her if they learn of her terrible history.

Despite these fears, Iz does her best to settle into her new life. Hoping to give at-risk children the musical experiences she longed for when she was little, she joins with her classmates and Teo (the boy she sort of kissed and then ghosted all summer) to start a musical outreach program at the community centre she used to go to.

She isn’t quite prepared for the chaotic group of children she’s paired with. And she’s even less ready for Skye, an angry foster kid who challenges everything Iz holds dear, gets a little too close for comfort, and has her own terrible secret.

To help Skye, Iz must make a dreadful choice—a decision that could free them both from their demons or completely destroy everything Iz has fought so hard for. Is raising her voice worth the risk?

Fierce Voice is the sequel to the White Pine Award nominee Iz the Apocaylpse.

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 12 to 18.

This book is part of The Métier Quartet series.

Additional Information
280 pages | 6.00" x 9.00" | Paperback

When the nighttime sky fills with stars, Grandmother Mouse awakens and begins her grounding ceremonies.

Inhale, exhale
Inhale, exhale
Inhale, exhale. . .

Gifted to the Nisg̱a'a People, Grandmother Mouse is a nurturing protector, tending to the hearts and minds of the people, the plants, the animals, and all of our relations. Imbuing the world with smudge, blessings, and affirmations, Grandmother Mouse is here to offer you gentle, yet profound, teachings so you may walk through life with good intention and strong spirit.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4+.

Additional Information
24 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | Hardcover 

Celebrate contemporary Indigenous traditions with this illustrated children’s picture book!

A young Nisg̱a’a boy, Simgan, learns to cook hamburger soup and fry bread with Grandmother on a crisp fall day. As they gather ingredients, chop vegetables and stir the pot, Grandmother remembers coastal fishing trips and community with friends—blending Nisg̲a’a vocabulary into her stories of food, family and tradition to create cultural memory and document everyday life.

Indigenous people have many differences from Nation to Nation, yet the hamburger soup recipes in these households are often very similar. This story celebrates shared traditions, the wisdom of Elders and the importance of giving back to the community.

To assist early language learners, a pronunciation guide to the Nisg̱a’a vocabulary found within Hamburger Soup will be available on the author’s website, www.samanthabeynon.com.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 6 to 8.

Additional Information
32 pages | 11.00" x 8.50" | 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 

An evocative autobiographical picture book about Cree activist Na'kuset's life as a young girl taken from her home along with thousands of other indigenous children during the 1960s, and the journey of discovery that leads her to reclaim her life and culture.

I have come from somewhere else, where
I am Cree and I have a big sister
and another name.

One night, a very young girl was removed from her home during Canada’s Sixties Scoop, which tore children from their Indigenous communities. She woke in a new home, with a new family and a new name—her former life fading to a ghost of a memory. The only place she ever felt like she fit in was with her grandmother—her Bubbie—who listened to her and made her chicken soup and wrapped her in her loving arms. Until one day…the girl discovered the truth. And her beloved Bubbie helped her on her journey to claim her identity, her voice—and her name.

Together, Na'kuset and Judith Henderson tell the powerful story of the Indigenous experience for a child during the Sixities Scoop. Cree illustrator Onedove shared how inspired they are by Na'kuset's story and activism, and that is made evident in the tender and vivid illustrations that bring Na'kuset's story to life.

Educator Information
Recommendations for ages 6 to 9.

Lexile measure: 450L 
Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient: O

Additional Information
40 pages | 9.50" x 9.50" | Hardcover

I am not a costume.

Ayasha’s school is having a costume party and she is so excited!

But when Ayasha arrives at school and sees other students wearing fake regalia, she is confused and upset. She doesn’t understand why they think her culture is a costume. Ayasha turns to her family and together they come up with a way to teach her classmates about her culture and how to honor her people respectfully.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 6+.

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.50" x 11.00" | Hardcover 

It’s the summer of 1989, and Mia is on her own—adjusting to life without her ex-best friend, Lara.

Summer vacation starts off well enough as Mia binges MTV and learns how to jar fish with her aunty and uncle. Then her grandma starts feeling unwell. At first, Mia isn’t too worried, but when a call comes in from the clinic to say her grandmother has to go to the hospital in Vancouver, everyone realizes this is serious.

Mia and her mom and aunties head to the city to be by her grandmother’s side. Mia mostly ping-pongs from the hospital to the motel, but she also gets to see some of the city and eat (too much) takeout. She even joins a basketball camp at the Friendship Centre, where she meets a teen coach who inspires her to get back into the game she loves and delve deeper into what it means to be Indigenous. As time passes, Mia’s grandmother's health doesn’t improve, and she has to face the fact that her beloved grandma might not get better.

Reviews
"Engaging, endearing and earnest, Spencer skillfully weaves together the simple joys of life with painful truths.” - Emily Seo, award-nominated author of The Science of Boys

"Kim Spencer is a master at seeing the world through a child’s eyes. A moving tribute to life, love, family and community." - Kevin Sylvester, award-winning author of Apartment 713

“A sensitive and wise rendering of Mia grappling with grief, family and identity. Mia’s self-discovery journey and her celebration of family, identity and roots will be hugely appealing and comforting to tweens exploring their own coming-of-age trials. Told in elegant poetic vignettes, I Won’t Feel This Way Forever is an emotionally rich and profound story that resonates across generations and cultures. A slam dunk follow-up to Weird Rules to Follow.” - Salma Hussain, author of The Secret Diary of Mona Hasan, a Quill & Quire 2022 Book of the Year

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 9 to 12.

Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient: Z
Lexile measure: 710L
Guided Reading Level: Z

Additional Information
192 pages | 5.00" x 7.50" | Paperback 

For kids ages 3-7, this lyrical picture book explores the complex emotions around missing a loved one, with stunning illustrations by Ojibwe artist Maya McKibbin.

I wish I could show you…
this great big meadow,
like a sea of lacy clouds….

In this beautiful ode to nature and mindfulness, a child sets out to explore the environment around their home, using all their senses. Yet, someone important is missing, someone the child wishes could be there on the journey.

Expressive text by Kathy Stinson leaves room for readers’ own interpretations about who the child in the story might be missing, while Indigenous illustrator Maya McKibbin’s gorgeous images capture the lush beauty of the natural world and the tenderness of a child’s emotions.

The perfect book for helping a child navigate loss, or missing someone that can’t be there with them.

Reviews
“Radiant images and a spacious narrative provide adults with an uplifting space to discuss heavy emotions with young ones ... A glowing window into grieving that makes room for sorrow and joy to coexist.”—Kirkus Reviews

"Lovely descriptive language….will lead to discussions about loss and how spending time in nature can be healing. A gentle book dealing with grief, told through the lens of the natural world.”—School Library Journal

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 7.

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

A high-quality colouring book for adults and children alike, featuring forty iconic West Coast scenes and motifs based on the works of Tsimshian artist Roy Henry Vickers.

Roy Henry Vickers is celebrated for his vibrant fusion of traditional motifs with contemporary style. His art reflects the stories and spirit of the natural world, from soaring eagles to tranquil rivers and majestic landscapes. Relax, unwind and explore your creative side while enjoying the beauty of the Northwest Coast with Inspired: A Roy Henry Vickers Colouring Book, featuring 40 pages to colour, adapted from the renowned artist’s most iconic works.

With high quality paper and perforated pages, Inspired is perfect as a gift or personal escape—and an engaging way to explore art, culture and creativity.

Additional Information
88 pages | 12.00" x 9.00" | 40 b&w illustrations | Paperback