Winter

Celebrate the 35th anniversary of this beloved holiday classic with a fresh edition that preserves the magic of the original story and brings it to life with stunning new illustrations.

The year is 1955. Arvaarluk and his friends watch Rocky Parsons land his plane on the ice in Repulse Bay, a tiny community “smack dab on the Arctic Circle.” Having never seen trees before, the children try to guess what the six green spindly things are that Rocky delivers. One of the boys has a brilliant idea: why not use them as baseball bats?

Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak is one of Canada’s foremost storytellers. Baseball Bats for Christmas captures the warmth and cadence of his voice as he describes the close-knit life of his community and the ingenuity he and his friends demonstrated when faced with something wholly unfamiliar.

Award-winning Inuk illustrator Coco Apunnguaq Lynge draws inspiration from the iconic work of Inuk artist Germaine Arnaktauyok to immerse the reader in the beauty of the Arctic landscape.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 5 to 8.

Themes: Inuit; Arctic; community; multicultural; friends; resourcefulness. 

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.50" x 10.75" | Hardcover

Long ago, when the buzzards were keepers of the fire, they were very stingy. On a frigid winter night Rabbit was freezing, he pleaded with the buzzards to share the warmth of their fire. The buzzards refused, yelling "This is our fire!" The playful Northwest Wind saw rabbit hopping slowly away, it decided to play tricks on Rabbit to make him even colder. Rabbit realized that If he wanted to get warm, and share the warmth with the other animals, he must come up with a clever plan.

Educator Information
Recommended for Grades 2 and under.

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

Cuddle up with this celebration of winter and explore the wonders of nature’s light with Moon Song from Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade.

On an island at the edge of a silvery sea, when the moon rises and night falls, a girl spins a story for her worried cousin to help him find comfort in the wintery dark. She invites him to see moonlight glittering in the forest, bioluminescence sparkling by the shore, and northern lights blazing in the sky. In the dark of the night, the whole world sings.

Celebrated Tlingit creator Michaela Goade, who brought us a summer's celebration in the Caldecott Honor Award‑winning Berry Song, invites us to discover the wonder and comfort of a winter's night through a magnificent Moon Song.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Additional Information
40 pages | 9.00" x 11.75" | Hardcover 

It is very cold in the Far North.

The Great Manitou knows that winter is the harshest season for the Innu, and he decides to find a way to make their winters a little brighter. He searches through the trees in the forest to find one who will bring joy, beauty and warmth to all. Could it be the larch, the tree that the Innu use to make sleds, bows or ointments? The birch, malleable and robust? Or the magnificent black spruce? “Do you want to become the Christmas tree?” he asks each one. But one after the other, the trees decline his offer. All except one, the little fir tree, whom the Great Manitou had initially overlooked.

Reviews
“The Great Manitou appears in vibrant fuchsia as various woodland creatures, standing out against the cool winter palette. A Christmas-themed look into Indigenous culture tradition that encourages further exploration.”— School Library Journal (SLJ)

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 5.

This book is available in French: Le premier arbre de Noël.

Additional Information
56 pages | 8.50" x 10.75" | Hardcover 

A pair of friends, Umingmak and Fox, haven't seen the sun for a long time.

Umingmak the muskox watches the sky growing darker in the winter months. Umingmak is surprised and a little scared! He asks his friend Fox: Why is it dark? Fox explains why it is so dark during the winter and brighter in the summer. Will talking to Fox help Umingmak feel better about his fear of the dark?

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 5 to 8.

This book is part of the Umingmak and Fox series. Umingmak and Fox: Why Is It Dark? takes a playful look at seasons in the North, where winter can be long and dark.

Additional Information
40 pages | 9.00" x 7.50" | Hardcover 

In this story, Tom and Liv skate on Log Pond. They play a game of hockey!  

Mi’gmaq have played hockey for a long time. Early hockey sticks were carved by Mi’gmaq from birch, elm, or ash wood. 

What games do you play in the winter? 

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4-7, for use in kindergarten and Grade 1 classrooms.

Cedar School Decodables is divided into six sets, which increase in word count and complexity of sentence structure. A Game on the Ice is in Set 3 – VCe, and reviews -ce and -ge. Books in Set 3 have 80-90 words.  

Readers should be familiar with the concepts included in Set 1 to Set 3: 

• consonants 

• beginning and end blends 

• short and long vowels 

• digraphs 

• a /o/ 

• s – /s/ and /z/ 

• -s and -es suffixes 

• possessives 

Series Information
Welcome to Cedar School! Join Liv, Tom, Gus, and Bell as they learn on the land and explore Mi’gmaw teachings with their teacher, Miss Sam, and the school’s Mi’gmaw Elder, Jen. With charming illustrations and simple storylines, this decodable series engages students as they practise their reading skills. Each book includes a pre-reading review of non-decodable words, and many of the books introduce special words related to Indigenous teachings. Talking Together prompts facilitate discussions led by the reading teacher. 

Developed in partnership with Dyslexia Canada, Cedar School Decodables is a series of 20 decodable books for young readers. Designed for students who have previously learned short vowel and consonant sounds, additional phonic skills are developed progressively throughout the series.

The series will be accompanied by Cedar School Decodables Teacher’s Guide and a series of four picture books, which will be available at a later date.

Additional Information
16 pages | 6.5” x 5.5” | Paperback | ISBN: 978-1-77174-646-5  

In this story, Log Pond has frozen over, and the class is ice fishing! Bell sings a song for good luck. Will the class catch anything? 

Mi’gmaq go ice fishing in the winter. Traditionally, they used sticks as fishing rods.  

Have you ever gone ice fishing? 

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4-7, for use in kindergarten and Grade 1 classrooms.

Cedar School Decodables is divided into six sets, which increase in word count and complexity of sentence structure. Fishing for Smelts is in Set 4 – Longer Words, and reviews -es, -ed (/d/, /t/, and /ǝd/), and -ing. Books in Set 4 have 90-100 words.   

Readers should be familiar with the concepts included in Set 1 to Set 4: 

• consonants 

• beginning and end blends 

• short and long vowels 

• digraphs 

• a /o/ 

• s – /s/ and /z/ 

• -s, -es, -ed, and -ing suffixes 

• VC-CV, V/CV, VC/V, and compound words 

• possessives 

Series Information
Welcome to Cedar School! Join Liv, Tom, Gus, and Bell as they learn on the land and explore Mi’gmaw teachings with their teacher, Miss Sam, and the school’s Mi’gmaw Elder, Jen. With charming illustrations and simple storylines, this decodable series engages students as they practise their reading skills. Each book includes a pre-reading review of non-decodable words, and many of the books introduce special words related to Indigenous teachings. Talking Together prompts facilitate discussions led by the reading teacher. 

Developed in partnership with Dyslexia Canada, Cedar School Decodables is a series of 20 decodable books for young readers. Designed for students who have previously learned short vowel and consonant sounds, additional phonic skills are developed progressively throughout the series.

The series will be accompanied by Cedar School Decodables Teacher’s Guide and a series of four picture books, which will be available at a later date.

Additional Information
16 pages | 6.5” x 5.5” | Paperback | ISBN: 978-1-77174-647-2 

A joyful, rhyming story in the vein of Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day, this debut children's picture book follows an Indigenous family as they enjoy the magic of a winter storm.

All is quiet on the snow-laden street.
Not a single soul makes a teeny-tiny peep.
Then,
With a bound and a bang and a funny kind of twirl
Out comes a bundled-up joyful little girl.

Capturing the magic of a snowfall, Snow Day follows an Indigenous family as they experience all of the delights of a winter's day. While Mom shovels the driveway and Dad cares for her brother by the fire, a young girl and her dog make snowflake tea, build a snow caterpillar, catch snowflakes on their tongues, and make snow angels. All while the snow continues to fall. At the end of the day, the girl is beckoned inside by the promise of hot chocolate, and regails her family with her adventures' and dreams of doing it all again tomorrow.

Atmospheric, nostalgic, and full of winter fun, the debut picture book by mixed-Cree journalist, book reviewer, and podcast host Lindsay Gloade-Raining Bird is a celebration of Indigenous joy and childhood wonder. Features warm, colourful artwork rendered in traditional gouache and coloured pencil from debut illustrator Ashley Thimot.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 7.

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

A debut picture book that celebrates self-love, care, and resilience with one of the most widespread plants—the dandelion.

Both a love letter to the dandelion and a call to love ourselves in a difficult world, Âmî Osâwâpikones reminds us that we are not defined as others see us. Following our young protagonist and the dandelions through the seasons, we are reminded that we are resilient, we are healers, we are funny, and we are loved.

Reviews
“A playful, lyrical, and persuasive love letter to a dandelion ... This tribute to a precious flowering plant will capture readers’ hearts.” —Kirkus Reviews

“SJ combines her gifts as both author and illustrator in this beautiful and endearing book that both children and adults will adore.” —Monique Gray-Smith

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 7.

Includes some Cree words (y-dialect - Plains Cree).  Plains Cree translations and a pronunciation guide can be found at the back of the book.

Includes an Author's Note that describes the inspiration for this story.

Themes: self-love, resilience, care, and lightheartedness conveyed through the dandelion. 

This book is available in French: Âmî Osâwâpikones / Cher pissenlit 

Additional Information
40 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.

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

This story is about how deer find food when it snows.

There are four seasons in the year: winter, spring, summer, and fall. Which season is this story about?

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for grade 1 students, but may also be useful in kindergarten classrooms.

Strong Science - Animals is a language-based science series for primary students featuring animals that all Canadian students will recognize. Photographs and Indigenous artwork illustrate the series. Common learning objectives in science curricula across Canada are addressed, and suggestions for extending the learning to other curriculum areas, including Indigenous cultural awareness, language arts, math, and art, are included in the teacher’s guide. The sixteen books in this series are grouped into four levels that increase in complexity, designed to accommodate students with various reading abilities within a classroom. This feature facilitates the use of this series in literacy programs along with the Strong Readers series.

Deer in the Snow is an EP3 (Early Primary 3) book in the Strong Science - Animals series. Font size decreases as language complexity and word count increase across levels: EP1 books have approximately 40 words, EP2 books have approximately 60 words, EP3 books have approximately 80 words, and EP4 books have approximately 100 words.

A teacher's guide for Strong Science - Animals is available: Strong Science - Animals: Teacher's Guide

Authenticity Note: This book has received the Indigenous Text label because the author is Indigenous (Lakota) and the featured animal holds cultural significance in many Indigenous cultures. The engaging story provides factual information in an easy-to-read format for children to learn science concepts and build literacy skills. It promotes respect for animals and Mother Earth, and its illustrations communicate additional cultural information through Lakota symbolism and designs. Further cultural connections are identified in the teacher's guide. Refer to the guide to explore the book's Indigenous connections fully. It is up to readers to determine if the book will work as a stand-alone authentic Indigenous text for their purposes.  

Additional Information
16 Pages | 6.5" x 5.5" | Paperback | ISBN: 978-1-77174-616-8 

Join in on the Sun Celebration in Grise Fiord, Nunavut, in this charming bilingual storybook!

Suupi lives in Grise Fiord, Nunavut. After three months of darkness in her community, the sun is finally about to return. Suupi and her friends can’t focus on their schoolwork. Today they will celebrate the return of the sun! There will be a sliding competition, a school performance, and a community feast. But Suupi is nervous about performing with her class in front of so many people. Will she find a way to overcome her fear?

Written by an author from Grise Fiord, a community in Nunavut where the sun doesn’t rise for nine months, Suupi and the Sun Celebration introduces readers to traditions within this Northern community that commemorate the return of the sun each year.

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 5.

Bilingual Inuktitut and English Edition

Themes: Family, Community, Return of the Sun, Celebrations, Singing, Traditional Songs, Throat Singing, Sun Celebration

This book is part of the Community Connections series.

Additional Information
44 pages | 8.00" x 8.00". Paperback

This delightful board book, written without text, was created by the Taos Pueblo's Tiwa Language Program to preserve the Tiwa culture and revitalize the Tiwa language by teaching it to younger generations. Many other Indigenous languages also need revitalizing, so it is the hope of the Taos Pueblo's Tiwa Language Program that other American Indian Nations will find the books in the Toas Pueblo Four Seasons series useful to teach their language to young children. The beautiful, hand-drawn illustrations will also teach young children about the four seasons of the year. All proceeds of the book support the Taos Pueblo's Tiwa Language Program.

This text-free board book allows Indigenous nations to teach their own languages to children.

Educator & Series Information
This wordless book is part of the Taos Pueblo Four Seasons series.

We are the "Red Willow People" of Taos Pueblo and have sustained our ancient village as one of the longest continuously inhabited communities, for over 1,000 years. Taos Pueblo is located in northern New Mexico and our Tiwa language is a dialect of the Tanoan language, which is not a written language. Traditionally we learn our Tiwa Language through oral tradition but we are in danger of losing our ancient language due to colonization, modernization, and the shift from Tiwa as our first language to English as our first language. The efforts of the Taos Pueblo Tiwa Language Program are focused on revitalizing the Tiwa Language and culture by protecting and preserving it, through teaching it to our younger generations.

This text-free board book allows Indigenous nations to teach their own languages to children.

Additional Information
22 pages | 7.90" x 7.90" | Board Book 

A vibrantly illustrated children’s book about an Indigenous girl who finds awe in the resting and waiting that winter teaches us and shares with her friends how Creator’s gift of gratitude can transform the way we see the world.

Your thankfulness is your gift to Earth.

Winter’s Gifts is the tale of a young Potawatomi girl named Dani whose family celebrates the darkest season of the year by treasuring the slowness that winter brings. Dani’s schoolmates think it’s silly to think that Earth gives us presents, but on a magical snowy day, her family and Creator give Dani the courage to teach her friends about the gifts of winter—resting, remembrance, and gratitude. Can Dani help them receive winter’s gifts?

Winter’s Gifts is a joyful and tender family story of honoring creation, the power of storytelling, and how a new perspective can transform us.

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 7.

This book is part of the An Indigenous Celebration of Nature series.

Additional Information
40 pages | 11.06" x 8.70" | Hardcover