Indigenous Peoples

From an acclaimed Ojibwe artist comes a story that offers an empowering universal message about finding inner strength.

Zoon’s shadow is always in his way. It makes a mess of his room, disrupts his class at school, and trips him on the soccer field. Zoon doesn’t know what to do! Until he tells his grandmother about it, and she gives him his grandfather’s drum. Its rhythm is like a heartbeat. If only Zoon can listen to the drum’s song, and ultimately to his own heart, he may yet find a way to thrive alongside his shadow.

Pawis‑Steckley's striking, graphic art brings to vibrant life both the challenges of controlling our trickster impulses and the luminosity of ancestral and inner wisdom, paving the way for us all to listen to our hearts.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Additional Information
40 pages | 10.00" x 10.00" | Hardcover 

In this charming debut, a feather from a red-tailed hawk finds its home in a little girl's dreamcatcher

When a gust of wind blows a feather off a flying red-tailed hawk, it marks the beginning of that feather's quest to find a new home. The feather ends up in a squirrel's nest, a woman's hat, and atop a sandcastle-but none of these spots feel right.

Soon, the feather is picked up by a little girl who lovingly takes it home to join two other feathers as part of a special craft project. When the project is complete, the reader discovers that the feather has found its home in a dreamcatcher.

Bright illustrations bring young readers along on this lost feather's search for purpose, and the heartwarming conclusion weaves in a tribute to an Indigenous cultural object.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 7.

Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient: M 
Lexile measure: AD630L

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.75" x 7.75" | Hardcover

Look to the sky!

High above the ground, generation after generation, Native workers called skywalkers have sculpted city skylines, balancing on narrow beams, facing down terrifying heights and heartbreaking loss. These skywalkers who dared to touch the heavens have built a legacy of landmarks all over the North American continent—and even today, there are Native Americans still climbing up among the clouds, brave enough to walk the sky.

With impactful and illuminating prose, Patricia Morris Buckley (Mohawk) tells the soaring story of the remarkable skywalkers, whose bravery and tragedies are warmly captured in moving watercolors by award-winning artist E. B. Lewis (Lenni-Lenape).

Reviews
"By turns solemnly reverent and enthusiastic, Buckley’s elegant text will leave young people keenly aware of the historical and present-day significance of these groundbreaking workers, as well as their strength and resilience. Awe-inspiring." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Graceful language honors skywalkers throughout this stirring telling, while fluidly rendered watercolor illustrations in a desaturated color palette employ sweeping perspective and scale." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"This fascinating narrative provides an in-depth history of skywalkers, the Caughnawaga, and their contributions to our cities and infrastructure." — School Library Journal (starred review)

"The text, even with all its facts and figures, is deeply emotional, capturing the giddy danger of skywalking, the relentless need to better one’s life, and the sorrow in a preventable tragedy...blurring faces and bodies in a way that emphasizes the comradery and connection between the workers." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"Here, a descendant of one of the 75 workers who died in the 1907 collapse of the Quebec Bridge pays eloquent tribute to the first generation of Mohawk “skywalkers” who came out of the Caughnawaga (later Kahnawà:ke) reserve in Canada." — Booklist

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Additional Information
40 pages | 8.50" x 11.00" | 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 

This bestselling and award-winning introduction to Etuaptmumk—the gift of multiple perspectives also known as Two-Eyed Seeing—is now available in a bilingual edition that celebrates the Mi’kmaw language and our connections to nature.

Elder Albert D. Marshall is a leading environmental voice who has brought forward the concept of Etuaptmumk, honoring and braiding both Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing for the benefit of all. Walking Together is grounded in this, as well as in the concept of Netukulimk, meaning to protect Mother Earth for the ancestors and for present and future generations. The journey in Walking Together nurtures respectful, reciprocal, responsible relationships with the Land and Water, with plant life and animals, and with other-than-human beings.

Translated by Barbara Sylliboy and Arlene Stevens, Eskasoni First Nation, Unama’ki (Cape Breton), Nova Scotia, the dual-language text in Mi’kmaw and English furthers Elder Marshall’s lifelong work preserving cultural beliefs and creating a strong vision for his people and for the future. Elder Marshall and Louise Zimanyi are working together to promote Land-based learning through storytelling, an approach that has global relevance for protecting biodiversity, climate action, and resilience. Emily Kewageshig’s evocative artwork illustrates the beauty of connecting with nature and encourages readers to strengthen their relationships to the world around them.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 7.

Introduces the concept of Two-Eyed Seeing (the gift of multiple perspectives) to young readers.

Bilingual Edition: Mi’kmaw and English.

This book is available in English: Walking Together 

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

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.

In Wôpanâak Seasons a young Wampanoag child takes readers on a seasonal journey through Aquinnah, on Neope, known as Martha’s Vineyard. Spring brings the return of wildlife; summer brings beach adventures and clambakes; fall is for harvesting cranberries and making jams; and winter features cozy gatherings and heartfelt traditions. Each season showcases the rich cultural heritage of the Wampanoag people. With striking illustrations and lyrical prose, this book is about an appreciation of the land and the joy the joy of coming together with our community all year round.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 5.

Additional Information
40 pages | 7.00" x 8.50" | Hardcover

Bahe and Dezba are helping their grandmother, Nali, move from her sheep camp home to their house. The family is packing up, carrying heavy boxes, and settling into a new life together, which isn’t always easy. At every frustration, they throw up their hands and exclaim, “Yaadila!” Good grief!

Bahe sees that this big change is hardest for Nali. But he has a secret plan. Whatever can he be doing with a bucket of water, all that yarn, and Dezba’s dollhouse?

In this heartwarming and quintessentially Navajo (Diné) story, author Laurel Goodluck (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Tsimshian) and illustrator Jonathan Nelson (Diné) together show a big change for an Elder made easier with a creative gesture of love and care.

Reviews
"Exasperation and love go hand in hand in this humorous yarn....Diné words are sprinkled into the text and defined in a glossary. Though the narrative could have benefited from a fuller explanation of the titular term at the outset, young readers will understand “Yáadilá!” by book’s end and will be amused by the interplay between Bahe and the “Helpful Narrator,” who breaks the fourth wall with comic book–style interjections. Underscoring Diné language and heritage, the tale touches on family and homesickness in a context many will relate to." — Kirkus Reviews

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Additional Information
40 pages | 10.00" x 8.00" | Hardcover

In this story, it is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Jen shares her story of healing with the students. 

For a long time, Mi’gmaq were not allowed to speak their language at school. Today, many Mi’gmaq are reconnecting with their language. 

How do you honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation? 

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. Elder Jen’s Story is in Set 6 – R-Controlled Vowels, and reviews er, ir, and ur. Books in Set 6 have 110-125 words. 

Readers should be familiar with the concepts included in Set 1 to Set 6: 

• consonants 

• beginning and end blends 

• short, long, and r-controlled vowels 

• digraphs 

• suffixes and ending spelling patterns 

• a /o/ 

• s – /s/ and /z/ 

• 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: 978-1-77174-654-0

A modern-day twist to The Giving Tree, this book chronicles the changes brought upon a beloved family tree that must be uprooted and planted on new land. This debut picture book by Staci Lola Drouillard (Grand Portage Band of Ojibwe descendant) celebrates resiliency, family bonds, and our deep connection to and responsibility for nature.

Grandma’s garden was not just any garden. It was where a spruce tree, only as tall as baby Francis, reached her roots into the soil and stretched her branches toward the sky. Here, on the shore of Gichigaming, is where Francis and the sapling felt right at home.

But when Grandma and Grandpa decide to move away, Francis wants to take the tree with them—can they?

Brimming with tenderness, this story from Staci Lola Drouillard (Grand Portage Band of Ojibwe descendant), with illustrations by Kate Gardiner (Chaubunagungamaug band of Nipmuck Indians), traces the journey of one family, and a little tree, as they adapt to change by drawing on the strength of their roots.

Reviews
"Drouillard, a Grand Portage band of Ojibwe descendant, and Gardiner, a member of the Chaubunagungamaug band of Nipmuck Indians, expertly weave together Francis and Gawaandagoonce’s grief and growth, conveying the heartbreak and resilience that often accompany transition while honoring Ojibwe values and language. A poignant illustration of how our roots keep us grounded amid change." — Kirkus Reviews

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Additional Information
40 pages | 10.00" x 10.00" | Hardcover

Learn fun names for animal groups of the West Coast with a sturdy board book featuring the illustrations of Indigenous artist Roy Henry Vickers.

Bright blocks of colour and tactile embossed pages bring the natural world of the wild West Coast to life. Accompanied by a rhythmic, rhyming text, this board book will entertain babies, toddlers, and adults alike as they discover that orcas leap and dive in a pod, a bunch of sea lions are called a bob, geese make up a wedge, a swamp full of croaking frogs form a chorus, a jumble of jellies are called a bloom—and more!

A Flock of Gulls, a Chorus of Frogs is a vibrant addition to this bestselling, award-winning First West Coast Book series, perfect for storytime and supporting language development in babies and toddlers.

Educator & Series Information
This book is a part of the First West Coast Books series.

Recommended for ages 3 and under.

Additional Information
24 pages | 7.25" x 5.00" | Board Book

Join artist and author, Storm Angeconeb, Lac Seul First Nation, Ojibwe as she gives thanks to her relatives in her first published children’s book. In All My Relatives — Indinawemaaganidag, Storm shares the intimate relations between the natural world, her family and their traditions. Storm gives thanks to each animal in Ojibwe in this first-of-its-kind board book featuring her beautiful, colourful Ojibwe art.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 0 to 4.

Additional Information
16 Pages | 16.5" x 16.5" | Board Book

All That You Are is a series of heartwarming, affirmational picture books from author and illustrator Sarah-Anne Tourond.

Through lyrical text and watercolour illustrations, this series shares the teachings of the Anishinaabe Medicine Wheel to remind children of their connection to the world around them. Each book is inspired by one quadrant of the Medicine Wheel that represents an aspect of wellness—Spiritual, Physical, Emotional, or Mental. A diagram of the Medicine Wheel is included at the back of the books. Anishinaabe Connections are also included to share more about Anishinaabe art, culture, and traditions explored in the text and illustrations.

A percentage of proceeds from this series is donated to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society to support their efforts in advocacy for justice and healing. To find out more information, please visit https://www.irsss.ca/.

Books in the All That You Are Series include:

You Are Sacred – Connects to the Spiritual quadrant of the Medicine Wheel

You Are the Land – Connects to the Physical quadrant of the Medicine Wheel

Educator Information
Books in the All That You Are series are best suited for children ages 3 to 6 and make wonderful read-alouds in classrooms and homes.

Free lesson plans and activity sheets are available for each book.

Curriculum Connections:

Early Literacy – listening, reading, and discussing

Art – the rhythm and music of the world around us, traditional Anishinaabe clothing and art

Health and Wellness – focusing on breath and balance, self-affirmation

Science – harmonious ecosystems, biodiversity of plants and animals with Indigenous cultural importance, environmental awareness

Social Responsibility – uplifting others and ourselves

Indigenous Knowledge and Traditions – teachings of the Anishinaabe Medicine Wheel, the Seven Generations, and All Our Relations

Additional Information
Each book is 24 pages | 8” x 8” | Hardcover | Series ISBN: 978-1-77174-630-4 

Aloha Everything is a magical story that will take you on a thrilling journey through the breathtaking islands of Hawaiʻi!

In this exciting adventure, you'll encounter mighty canoes crashing over ocean waves, regal hawks soaring high above the clouds, and brilliant lizards jumping nimbly through forest trees! Most importantly, you'll meet a courageous young girl named Ano who learns, grows, and comes to love her island home with all her heart.

Since the day that Ano was born, her heart has been connected to her home. But, this adventurous child has a lot to learn! When Ano begins to dance hula — a storytelling dance form that carries the knowledge, history, and folklore of the Hawaiian people — Ano comes to understand the true meaning of aloha.

Aloha Everything is both a captivating read and a fantastic educational resource for learning about Hawaiian history, ecology, and culture. With breathtaking hand-painted illustrations and beautiful rhyming poetry that will lull little ones into brilliant dreams of vibrant adventure, this book is sure to capture the hearts of both children and parents alike.

The beautiful poetry—weaving its way through every page—artfully blends 25 Hawaiian words into the English prose and provides a thoughtful exploration of the meaning of aloha in relation to the land, the people, and the lore. There is also a pronunciation guide and glossary providing additional information for those looking to learn more about the rich language and culture of Hawai’i.

Reviews
"Mesmerizing, metered verse combines English and Hawaiian words for a rich tale of Hawaiian history, culture, ecology, and legends. Making deft use of light and shadow, the vibrant images bring the text to life... A stunning tribute to Hawaiian culture and identity."–starred review, Kirkus

"Lush illustrations by Waite and rhythmic quatrains by Melia George paint the story of a Hawaiian girl who learns about her cultural heritage through hula. . . . acrylic and gouache paintings linger on the eye in this gossamer work." –Publishers Weekly

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 5 to 8.

Additional Information
40 pages | 11.25" x 9.75" | Hardcover

A festive, joyful Indigenous picture book that explores both Christmas traditions and Anishinaabe culture, for fans of Santa in the City and Go Show the World.

One winter solstice, Mommy says, "Baby, we're going home to the Rez. We're going to have an Anishinaabe Christmas." But this is Baby's first Christmas away from the city, and they're worried! They have a lot of questions:

How will Santa know where to find them?

Why do we have presents on Christmas?

How come they're going home to the Rez but don't live there?

On the long trip to Mooshom's and Kookom's, Baby learns about animals being part of their family, about the North Star leading them home and even the meanings of some Anishinaabe words. Will this Anishinaabe Christmas be Baby's best yet?

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 7.

Additional Information
48 pages | 9.00" x 10.25" | Hardcover