LGBTQ2S+

Tasha Spillett’s graphic novel debut, Surviving the City, is a story about womanhood, friendship, colonialism, and the anguish of a missing loved one.

Miikwan and Dez are best friends. Miikwan is Anishinaabe; Dez is Inninew. Together, the teens navigate the challenges of growing up in an urban landscape – they’re so close, they even completed their Berry Fast together. However, when Dez’s grandmother becomes too sick, Dez is told she can’t stay with her anymore. With the threat of a group home looming, Dez can’t bring herself to go home and disappears. Miikwan is devastated, and the wound of her missing mother resurfaces. Will Dez’s community find her before it’s too late? Will Miikwan be able to cope if they don’t?

Awards

• Winner of the 2019 Indigenous Voices Award for Works in an Alternative Format
• Co-winner of the Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book by a Manitoba Author
• Winner of the Manuela Dias Design and Illustration Award, Graphic Novel category

Educator & Series Information
Recommended Grades: 7-12.

This graphic novel is part of the Surviving the City series, which is also part of the Debwe Series.

The Surviving the City series includes these titles:

• Surviving the City
• From the Roots Up
• We Are the Medicine

Recommended in the Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools 2019-2020 resource list for grades 10 to 12 for English Language Arts and Social Studies.

This book could be triggering for some readers as it contains mature content and focuses on issues such as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

A Teacher Guide is available: Surviving the City Teacher Guide: Exploring Identity, Allyship, and Social Action for Meaningful Change in Grades 7-12 

Additional Information
56 pages | 6.50" x 10.00" 

One day, Tommy wears a pink tutu to school. After his mother expresses her concern, Tommy decides to wear it anyway. Bullying becomes a minor problem as Tommy discovers he has a bigger problem to face; which toilet should Tommy use? The girls’ or the boys’?

Inspired by a true story, this is a book about staying true to yourself. Tommy has to overcome a lot of things: nay-sayers, bullies, social norms, self-doubt; yet he stays true to himself.

Educator & Series Information
A forward-thinking book relevant in today’s changing world, Tommy Tutu inspires adults and children alike. Tommy Tutu is part of the Awkward+Awesome book series celebrating unlikely heroes and inner weirdos. A story about an awkward boy, an awesome tutu and how, together, they change the world. 

Recommended for grades K to 4.

Additional Information
38 Pages | 8" x 8"

Peyton loves to dance, and especially at Pow Wow, but her Auntie notices that she’s been dancing less and less. When Peyton shares that she isn't comfortable wearing a dress anymore, Auntie Eyota asks some friends for help to get Peyton what she needs.

Reviews
"How do you stay true to yourself when you don’t feel like you fit in? In 47,000 Beads, young Peyton discovers the power of family, culture, and community as she uncovers the very special role she has as a Two-Spirit person.... Full of colorful, intricate illustrations, this picturebook captures the necessary care, attention, and tiospaye (extended family) support that goes into the creation of the jingle dance regalia. Against this specific context, the book celebrates everyone’s unique identity. The authors reject colonized ideas of gender by using the singular pronoun “they” throughout the book. 47,000 Beads celebrates the resilience of Two-Spirit peoples despite decades of stigmatization and trauma as a result of the oppression of Indigenous peoples in the settler-colonial culture. It is rare, but enlivening, to see a picture book that successfully depicts the continuum of gender identity and expression in a Native community. It is liberating to see a book that frames gender fluid identities as reasons to celebrate." - Emma Heckel, Children's Literature @ UMN

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 6 to 8.

Additional Information
28 pages | 10.75" x 8.25" | Paperback

Talittuq is excited to start his first day of grade two. He is looking forward to the new school year, but as he meets his friends again for the first time after summer vacation, he notices that a lot of his friends’ families are very different from his own. Some have one mom and one dad, and some have only a mom. Some kids live with their grandparents. Some live with two dads or two moms. As Talittuq hears about all the fun his friends have had with their families, he learns that families come in many different shapes and sizes, and what holds them all together is love!

Educator Information
Ages 5-7.

Additional Information
28 pages | 8.50" x 8.50"

Anna explores what it means to be Mohawk, her own identity and the identity of others as she learns to follow the Eagle’s path. She learns how her culture has taught many generations to value honesty, wisdom and courage in their day-to-day lives. Anna also learns about two-spirit people when her best friend tells her that she likes other girls. This revelation leaves her full of questions, and with support from her wise and loving mother, she understands the value in accepting everyone for who they are.

A powerful story to share with children of all ages.

Educator Information
Recommended for Grades 3 to 7.

Additional Information
24 Pages | ISBN: 9781771742566 | Paperback

All the kids in Ms May’s classroom are making cards for Father’s Day. What are the kids with no dads supposed to do? Akilah has a great idea – with her friend Kai, she creates a club for the kids with families that don’t include dads. There’s mamas and tias and babas and moms and abuelas! Find out how the kids celebrate their families in The Zero Dads Club, a beautifully illustrated story showing that all families are just right.

Educator Information 
Recommended for ages 6 to 8.

Additional Information
28 pages | 10.75" x 8.25" | Paperback