Dual or Triple Language
Synopsis:
Les magnifiques albums de la série Chansons du vent du nord racontent, à travers les aventures et l’imagination fertile des deux jeunes frères cris Joe et Cody, le territoire, les peuples et les coutumes du nord du Manitoba. Publiés originalement en anglais et en cri, les voici maintenant offerts en français et en cri. Joe et Cody suivent les caribous toute l’année en traîneau avec leurs parents. Joe joue de l’accordéon et Cody danse pour attirer les caribous errants. Mais lorsque des milliers de caribous répondent à leur appel, ce qui devrait être un moment de terreur se transforme en quelque chose de mystique et de magique quand les garçons ouvrent leurs bras et leur coeur pour embrasser l’esprit du caribou.
Educator & Series Information
Part of the Songs of the North Wind Series (Chansons du vent du nord), now available in French/Cree.
This book is also available in a dual-language format in English/Cree: Caribou Song
Synopsis:
Les magnifiques albums de la série Chansons du vent du nord racontent, à travers les aventures et l’imagination fertile des deux jeunes frères cris Joe et Cody, le territoire, les peuples et les coutumes du nord du Manitoba. Publiés originalement en anglais et en cri, les voici maintenant offerts en français et en cri. Joe et Cody profitent de l’été pour explorer le monde et se lier d’amitié avec de nombreuses créatures. Ce qu’ils aiment par-dessus tout, c’est d’attraper des libellules et de nouer doucement un fil autour de chacune d’elle avant de les laisser s’envoler. Les frères poursuivent alors leurs libellules cerfs-volants à travers les arbres et les prairies jusqu’à ce qu’elles disparaissent dans le ciel nocturne. Et dans leurs rêves, Joe et Cody planent dans les cieux avec leurs cerfs-volants jusqu’à ce vienne le temps du réveil.
Educator & Series Information
Part of the Songs of the North Wind Series (Chansons du vent du nord), now available in French/Cree.
This book is also available in a dual-language format in English/Cree: Dragonfly Kites
Synopsis:
This bilingual book (with text in Inuktitut syllabics, Inuktitut Roman orthography, and English) shares six Inuktitut terms for caribou throughout their life cycles, giving the youngest of readers an understanding of the rich Inuktitut terminology for these important animals.
Educator Information
This board book is recommended for ages 3 and under.
Additional Information
26 pages | 8.00" x 8.00"
Synopsis:
From Ant (Gligoetjit) to Wolf (Paqtism) and beyond, the Mi'kmaq Alphabet Book is sure to delight the young and the young at heart. Braelyn Cyr's vibrant illustrations are a delightful pair to Shyla Augustine's first baby board book.
Additional Information
26 pages | 7.00" x 7.00" | Board Book
Synopsis:
Nibi is water and water is life.
A first conversation about the importance of Nibi—which means water in Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe)—and our role to thank, respect, love, and protect it. Babies and toddlers can follow Nibi as it rains and snows, splashes or rows, drips and sips. Written from an Anishinaabe water protector’s perspective, the book is in dual language—English and Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe).
Educator Information
Board Book for ages 0 - 3 / Preschool.
A board book for babies and toddlers that introduces the importance of water and water protection. Indigenous water protectors, like author Joanne Robertson, are highly respected environmentalists in Canada and across North America. Joanne Robertson is the author and illustrator of the award-winning picture book The Water Walker.
Dual-language: Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) and English. Dual-language books are important in all of our efforts to support the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Call to Action, specifically the call to promote, support, and teach Indigenous languages.
Subjects: Character Education (Strong Female Role Models); Environmentalism; History & Social Studies (Canadian History, First Nations & Indigenous Peoples, Social Justice).
Translated by Shirley Williams and Isadore Toulouse.
Additional Information
28 pages | 7.00" x 7.00"
Synopsis:
Niaqualuk and Haugaaq live in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. There is a big blizzard coming! Haugaaq wishes she could play outside more, but Niaqualuk is excited about playing inside. See what fun things the sisters do all day as the blizzard howls outside.
Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 5.
This book is part of the Community Storybooks series. These books tell fun and engaging stories that take place in different communities across Nunavut. Each book was written by an author from the community and has been carefully reviewed for authenticity.
Dual-language/Bilingual: Inuktitut and English
This book is available in Inuktitut and French here!
Additional Information
36 pages | 9.00" x 8.00" | Hardcover
Synopsis:
Les magnifiques albums de la série Chansons du vent du nord racontent, à travers les aventures et l’imagination fertile des deux jeunes frères cris Joe et Cody, le territoire, les peuples et les coutumes du nord du Manitoba. Publiés originalement en anglais et en cri, les voici maintenant offerts en français et en cri. Joe et Cody pêchent sur la glace avec leurs parents par un après-midi d’hiver glacial. Cody aide Papa à pêcher, tandis que maman et Joe somnolent dans le traîneau. Soudain, les chiens repèrent un renard à la fourrure aussi brillante que des flammes et s’élancent à sa poursuite, entraînant maman et Joe dans une course folle.
Educator & Series Information
Part of the Songs of the North Wind Series (Chansons du vent du nord), now available in French/Cree.
This book is also available in a dual-language format in English/Cree: Fox on the Ice
Synopsis:
Our Aboriginal Elders tell of a time when animals and humans could speak to each other. When humans became too greedy and killed more animals than they needed for food, the Creator changed that relationship to protect the animals. So the Creator made a Spirit Animal to represent each one and granted them gifts they could give to people.
Spirit Animals teach, heal and inspire. Turtle carries North America on its back and symbolizes peace and balance. Bear is called “Grandfather” for its strength, leadership, confidence and courage. Coyote gifted us with fire and knowledge of herbs and food. Wolf taught us to hunt and form communities.
This book is a guide, and the meanings of the Spirit Animals featured here are only one interpretation. If you see these Spirit Animals or Totems reflected in your own life, you have received their gift.
Educator Information
Encourages learning of simple kinship phrases in English and Nakota Sioux.
Additional Information
24 pages | 6.99" x 6.99" | Board Book
Synopsis:
Kyle lives in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. He is excited for the miniature boat race on Williamson Lake!
As Kyle gets ready to go to the race, the chain falls of his bike. Kyle hopes his ataata can fix it when he comes home. He knows his ataata can fix a lot of things, but will he be able to fix Kyle's bike?
Educator & Series Information
This is an Arvaaq Book. Books in this series are intended for infants and very young children and are designed to help children develop physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and language skills.
Recommended Ages: 3 - 5
Dual-Language: English and Inuktitut
Additional Information
40 pages | 8.00" x 8.00"
Synopsis:
When We Are Kind celebrates simple acts of everyday kindness and encourages children to explore how they feel when they initiate and receive acts of kindness in their lives. Celebrated author Monique Gray Smith has written many books on the topics of resilience and reconciliation and communicates an important message through carefully chosen words for readers of all ages. Beautifully illustrated by artist Nicole Neidhardt, this book encourages children to be kind to others and to themselves.
Reviews
“A perfect addition to your bedtime routine, and would make a great gift for every teacher and librarian your child knows, so each school has a copy upon reopening.” — them.
“Simple statements have the resonance of affirmations and establish a clear chain of connectedness…A panoply of Indigenous characters is featured in rich detail. A visual feast for families interested in seeing the Native world through small, kind deeds.” — Kirkus Reviews
“An accessible picture book that will work well as a read-aloud in a group or for quiet reading alone. Whether at home or in the classroom, its pleasing repetition of phrases. such as 'I am kind when' and 'I feel', will appeal to young readers and invite re-reading. Highly Recommended.” — CM: Canadian Review of Materials
"When We Are Kind is a poem-like story that celebrates the simple acts of everyday kindness. The story encourages children to explore how they feel when they initiate and receive acts of kindness in their lives. It is an appropriate text for a younger audience, but it also has a relevant reminder message for older children."— The Dalai Lama Center
Educator Information
This picture book is the dual-language (English and Diné) edition of When We Are Kind. The translator for this work is Mildred Walters. Mildred Walters is Diné (Navajo) from Torreon, New Mexico, in the eastern region of the Navajo Nation. She has a bachelor of arts in linguistics, a master of arts in language, reading, and culture and a master of arts in information resources and library science. She currently works as a librarian for a Public Tribal Library in Sandia Pueblo, New Mexico, and has done so for 11 years. Mildred currently lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
This book is also available in French: Nous sommes gentils
This book is available as a board book in English: When We Are Kind (BB)
Recommended for ages 3 to 5.
Themes: Teaching Compassion, Being Kind, Family, Friendship, Gratitude
Simple, pointed text gives examples of how children can be kind to those around them, the different emotions that receiving kindness can make us feel, and how we maintain a connection with one another through acts of kindness within our community.
Additional Information
32 pages | 9.00" x 9.00"
Synopsis:
Donovan is hungry for a special kind of breakfast . . . Makwa!
It’s breakfast time and Donovan knows exactly what he wants this morning! Not eggs, not pancakes, not cereal. No, what he wants is BEAR, just like his grandfather used to eat for breakfast!
So Donovan sets off to bag a bear of his own, going on an adventurous hunt through the woods, where he stalks and is stalked by an ant, a squirrel, and a dog — but they are not bears, so he shoos them away!
When Donovan finally meets a real, big and growling bear, he quickly learns that sometimes breakfast tastes best when it doesn’t have any teeth!
Educator Information
This dual-language edition includes both the original English text and an Algonquin translation.
This story was inspired by Donovan, a first-grader in in La Loche, a community in northern Saskatchewan that Robert Munsch visited in January, 1990. When Robert asked what the kids liked to eat, Donovan said that he liked to eat BEAR! Illustrator Jay Odjick is a member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation and the creator of the Algonquin Word of the Day series.
This book is available in English only as Bear for Breakfast.
This resource is also available in French as Un ours pour dejeuner!
Additional Information
32 pages | 8.00" x 10.00"
Synopsis:
Let’s go berry picking!
Follow a family as they go berry picking on a fall day in Nunavut.
Educator Information
Bilingual: English and Inuktitut
This is an Arvaaq Book. Books in this series are intended for infants and very young children and are designed to help children develop physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and language skills.
Additional Information
16 pages | 18.50" x 18.50"
Synopsis:
Based in Duck Bay, Manitoba, in the 1940s, an Elder shares his experience of packing up to go out to collect blueberries, a traditional gathering that took place every summer. He describes the journey and landscape with humor and such vivid imagery that readers will see themselves there with him, boarding the trail of wagons from surrounding communities and heading east toward the blueberry patch. The Elder's stories offer a journey back in time and are complemented by images of fields of plump blueberries, tall green grass, bannock baking over an open fire, clear freshwater streams and the tents the people slept in.
Educator Information
Written in English and Anishinaabemowin. Includes a page of after-reading activities for kids at the back of the book that both test reading comprehension and encourage further inquiry and exploration.
Recommended for ages 6-8.
Themes: Manitoba, Berries, Food Sovereignty, Indigenous, Traditions, Food, Culture, Family, Community, Anishinaabe.
Includes a recipe for bannock.
Translated by Norman Chartrand.
Recommended in the Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools 2020/2021 resource list as being useful for grades K-3 in these areas: English Language Arts, Art, Math, Science, and Social Studies.
Additional Information
32 pages | 8.00" x 8.00"
Synopsis:
Indigenous protectors use language revitalization to save the Earth from evil pioneers and cyborg sasquatches.
Ts’ür’i and Aghay are the Dakwäkãda Warriors protecting Nän from their nemesis Cyber Nà’į and Space Kwäday Dän. Flying in their spaceship, can they prevent the Sha being stolen from Cyber Nà’į and Space Kwäday Dän?!
As a young person growing up in Haines Junction YT, artist Cole Pauls performed in a traditional song and dance group called the Dakwäkãda Dancers. During that time, Pauls encountered the ancestral language of Southern Tutchone. Driven by a desire to help revitalize the language, he created Dakwäkãda Warriors, a bilingual comic about two earth protectors saving the world from evil pioneers and cyborg sasquatches.
Pauls’ Elders supported him throughout the creation process by offering consultation and translation. The resulting work is a whimsical young adult graphic novel that offers an accessible allegory of colonialism. Dakwäkãda Warriors also includes a behind-the-scenes view into the making of the comic and a full-colour insert featuring character illustrations by guest Indigenous Canadian artists.
Awards
- 2020 Indigenous Voices Awards Winner for Works in an Indigenous Language
Reviews
From the publisher, an interview with Cole Pauls:
1. Why did you decide to create this comic?
I wanted to create a sense of identity and strength for the youth from my hometown and the Yukon. To be portrayed in a heroic but also realistic way, where culture is power and the community is stronger because of that. I made Dakwäkãda Warriors to keep Southern Tutchone language and culture alive.
2. What do you hope your work will bring to the Canadian comics canon?
A proper portrayal of Yukon Indigenous culture, we don't live in igloos, ya know!! I want to show the world what Southern Tutchone culture really is and how strong Indigenous culture can be when properly portrayed by someone who lives and practices it.
Educator Information
Recommended Ages: 8 to 16
Language revitalization in an allegory of colonialization.
Artist Cole Pauls wanted to reclaim the Southern Tutchone language he had learned as a youth while performing in a traditional song and dance group. So, he created a comic about two Earth Protectors saving the Earth from evil pioneers and cyborg sasquatches. But he also went to his elders and asked them to translate his comic into the two dialects of Southern Tutchone. The resulting work is an allegory of colonialization done in an accessible format, a whimsical young adult graphic novel which helps to revitalize language. Pauls includes a "making of" postscript to give context to the project, and invites guest Indigenous Canadian artists to provide "pin-ups" of his characters.
Additional Information
112 pages | 6.50" x 10.00" | 112 illustrations
Synopsis:
This updated edition is expanded to include more numbers and new illustrations, making it an even finer resource for teaching the basics of counting in English, French, and Cree.
Neepin Auger’s books for children contain original, brightly coloured images and early education level concepts familiar to everyone. Playful and bold, this dynamic series will educate and entertain preschoolers, parents, and teachers alike.
In addition to the English words presented, the French and Cree equivalents are also given, making these some of the most dynamic and useful board books on the market, perfectly suitable for the classroom, library, and nursery.
Neepin Auger is a Cree artist, educator, and mother. Originally from the Bigstone Cree Nation in northern Alberta, she has been painting for over ten years, having studied art under her father, Dale Auger, a renowned First Nations artist and author of the award-winning children's book Mwâkwa Talks to the Loon: A Cree Story for Children.
Reviews
"Neepin Auger has created a simple board book that illustrates the numbers one to ten and includes the words in English, French and Cree. Bright, simple drawings attract the eye. The subjects are those familiar to Cree children but have universal application. This book and its companion Discovering Words will be useful in preschool and kindergarten classrooms, especially those introducing multiple languages." —Canadian Aboriginal Books for Schools, 2014-2015
Educator & Series Information
This book is part of Neepin Auger's Discovering series.
This is the 2nd, updated edition.
Additional Information
30 pages | 6.50" x 6.50" | 2nd Edition