Grades 2-3

This is the official book of the 2011 All Native Basketball Tournament. These games have been held in Prince Rupert, British Columbia for over 50 years. Since its inception, the Tournament has become an important cultural gathering.

B is For Basketball was created in collaboration with the students and teachers of School District No. 50 on Haida Gwaii. It is a tribute, and it is a labour of love.

Finally, this is also an alphabet book that includes a Foreword by Governor General Award-Winning Artist Robert Davidson, and is filled with captivating illustrations, which is sure to be enjoyed by all!

B is For Basketball was recently featured on the CBC's North By Northwest! Congrats to the Students and Teachers of School District #50 (Haida Gwaii), and to Judy!

Educator Information
B is For Basketball was created in collaboration with the students and teachers of School District No. 50 on Haida Gwaii. It is a tribute, and it is a labour of love. 

Additional Information
Foreward by Robert Davidson (Haida)

Two legged and four legged beings are beautifully illustrated and cultural meanings provided from the: Nuxalk, Namgis, Caost Salish, Kwakwaka'wakw, Haisla, Heiltsuk, Haida, Bella Bella, Tsimshian, Kwa Na Ki Nulth and Nuchatlaht Nations.

Some of the contributors include: Cranmer, Ryan; Horne Sr., Francis; Windsor, Paul; Bulpitt, Corey; Young, T.J.; Houstie, Ben; Isaac, Eugene; Moraes, Corey W.;  Starr, Terry; John, Rose Elsie

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.

This gentle story of a child on the verge of great loss was selected as the Aboriginal Children’s Book of the Year.

Awards

• Winner of the Anskohk Aboriginal Children's Book of the Year Award. 

Educator Information
Recommended Grades: 1-10.

Curriculum Connections: Indigenous Studies, Visual Arts, Science, Health.

Recommended Authentic First Peoples resource K-9.

This illustrated children's story is recommended for English First Peoples Grades 10 for units pertaining to childhood through Indigenous writers' eyes and the exploration of residential schools and reconciliation through children's literature.

This book is available in French: Shi-shi-etko (French)

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.50" x 8.13" 

This inspiring children's book -- a revised edition of the award-winning Flight of the Hummingbird -- is based on a South American Indigenous story about a courageous hummingbird who defies fear and expectations in her attempt to save the forest from fire. The illustrated story is supplemented by a natural and cultural history of hummingbirds, as well as an inspiring message from Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai. The evocative artwork by internationally renowned Haida artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas complements the optimistic tale that encourages everyone to take responsibility for their home and the planet.

Reviews
“This fable-like tale shows readers how one person can make a difference in everyday life… The illustrations are… beautifully representative of Native Haida art.”—School Library Journal

“A visually striking, dramatic book… An environmental parable it is, but could it not be a parable for life itself?”—The Globe and Mail

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 5+. 

Based on a South American Indigenous story, The Little Hummingbird features:

• Stunning artwork in Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas’ iconic style
• An inspiring afterword from Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai
• Scientific and cultural facts about hummingbirds

Additional Information
32 pages | 6.75" x 10.00"

Igvillu is a little dog with big dreams. One of her favorite dreams is of becoming a sled dog. When Igvillu is adopted from her kennel by an Inuit storyteller and moves to northern Canada, she comes face-to-face with real sled dogs. Igvillu loves living in the North, chasing siksiks and dreaming about her future. She''s a dog who believes anything is possible!

Alego is a beautifully simple story, written in Inuktitut and English, about a young Inuit girl who goes to the shore with her grandmother to collect clams for supper. Along the way she discovers tide pools brimming with life -- a bright orange starfish, a creepy-crawly thing with many legs called an ugjunnaq, a hornshaped sea snail and a sculpin.

Written and illustrated by Ningeokuluk Teevee, one of the most interesting young artists in Cape Dorset, home to the great tradition of Inuit art, this is an enchanting and utterly authentic introduction to the life of an Inuit child and her world.

Educator Information
Alego includes an illustrated glossary of sea creatures as well as a map of Baffin Island. Ages 4-7.

This book is delivered in a dual-language format, written in Inuktitut and English.

Curriculum Connections: Social Studies, Science, Visual Arts.

Additional Information
24 pages | 7.63" x 9.63"

What happens when you get a bead stuck up your nose? Tony's visit to the doctor's office shows how to take care of eyes, ears, nose and mouth.

Tony, Rainey, Jennifer, and Mavis love playing, with the help of their parents, they learn important safety lessons at school, in the kitchen and in the playground.

A sweet story about a little Quail who, through the love of his family, learns life lessons about feelings, emotions and expressing oneself.

Written for children of all backgrounds, with colorful illustrations, this story shares the important message of healthy living.

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 5.

This book is part of the Caring For Me Series.

Additional Information
20 pages | 10.00" x 8.00" | Paperback

B.C. Science Supplementary Resource: K-Physical and Earth Science

Charlie and Grandma are doing chores around the house. While doing the chores, grandma shares loving stories with Charlie on how to take care mother earth.

This series was developed through consultations with health promotion workers and early childhood educators. There are six titles in the series that deal with issues such as healthy eating, safety, dealing with feelings and notions of respect. This series is appropriate for ages three to five, and the books have full-colour illustrations.

This moving sequel to the award-winning Shi-shi-etko tells the story of two children's experience at residential school. Shi-shi-etko is about to return for her second year, but this time her six-year-old brother, Shin-chi, is going, too. As they begin their journey in the back of a cattle truck, Shi-shi-etko takes it upon herself to tell her little brother all the things he must remember: the trees, the mountains, the rivers and the tug of the salmon when he and his dad pull in the fishing nets. Shin-chi knows he won't see his family again until the sockeye salmon return in the summertime.

When they arrive at school, Shi-shi-etko gives him a tiny cedar canoe, a gift from their father. The children's time is filled with going to mass, school for half the day, and work the other half. The girls cook, clean and sew, while the boys work in the fields, in the woodshop and at the forge. Shin-chi is forever hungry and lonely, but, finally, the salmon swim up the river and the children return home for a joyful family reunion.

Awards

Reviews
"Shin-Chi’s Canoe is a story about a brother and sister sent to a residential school and the separation from their culture they experience. Shin-Chi finds comfort with a little cedar canoe and the dream of returning home like the salmon. The children both find peace and strength by connecting to Mother Earth and the water. The story acknowledges the residential school system's devastating events while highlighting Indigenous children's strength and resiliency." - The Dalai Lama Center

Educator Information
Recommended Grades: 2-10.

Recommended Authentic First Peoples K-9 resource.

This illustrated children's story is recommended for English First Peoples Grades 10 for units pertaining to childhood through Indigenous writers' eyes and the exploration of residential schools and reconciliation through children's literature.

This book is available in French: La pirogue de Shin-chi

Additional Information
40 pages | 8.50" x 8.13"

Maintaining the Dene storytelling tradition of passing along the teachings to their children, John Blondin relayed the story of The Legend of the Caribou Boy as he heard it from his father, George Blondin a respected Elder and storyteller. Now written down in dual language the legend is passed on to you. Discover one small part of Dene history and the lessons that have been passed on for generations.

A young boy is having trouble sleeping at night. he is being called to fulfill his destiny, a destiny which lives on today in the traditions and culture of the Dene people and their relationship to the caribou and the land on which they live.

The multimedia CD included allows readers to hear and see the Dogrib legend in Dogrib and English on a Mac or PC computer or insert it into a CD player to listen to the story in either language.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 6 to 8.

Additional Information
40 pages | 10.00" x 8.00"

On a fresh spring day, young Yetsa, her mother and her grand-mother 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. The reader joins this family in an old, but vibrant tradition: the creation of a Cowichan sweater.

Additional Information

This is an endearing story of a young Aboriginal foster child who is given a special gift by his foster mother. Her gift of warmth and thoughtfulness helps her young foster children by encouraging self-esteem, acceptance and love. Written as a simple story, it speaks of a positive foster experience.

Additional Information
16 pages | 8.00" x 6.00" | Paperback

A long time ago, Raven was pure white, like fresh snow in winter. This was so long ago that the only light came from campfires, because a greedy chief kept the stars, moon, and sun locked up in elaborately carved boxes. Determined to free them, the shape-shifting Raven resourcefully transformed himself into the chief's baby grandson and cleverly tricked him into opening the boxes and releasing the starlight and moonlight. Though tired of being stuck in human form, Raven maintained his disguise until he got the chief to open the box with the sun and flood the world with daylight, at which point he gleefully transformed himself back into a raven. When the furious chief locked him in the house, Raven was forced to escape through the small smokehole at the top--and that's why ravens are now black as smoke instead of white as snow.

This engaging Tlingit story is brought to life in painted illustrations that convey a sense of the traditional life of the Northwest Coast peoples.

Additional Information
32 pages | 9.50" x 9.60"