Humour / Comedy

Trickster Coyote is having his friends over for a festive solstice get-together in the woods when a little girl comes by unexpectedly. She leads the party-goers through the snowy woods to a shopping mall -- a place they have never seen before.

Coyote gleefully shops with abandon, only to discover that filling your shopping cart with goodies is not quite the same thing as actually paying for them. The trickster is tricked and goes back to his cabin in the woods -- somewhat subdued -- though nothing can keep Coyote down for long.

Awards

• Winner of the American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Awards, Best Picture Book

Reviews
"The humor is dry and affectionate, the rhyming text delights with sly turns of phrase, the watercolor cartoons are whimsical … [A] holiday treat." — School Library Journal

"This witty winter tale deftly skewers the materialistic aspect of the holiday season in a humorous, trenchant way." — Kirkus Reviews

Educator Information
Recommended Ages: 5 - 8.

Curriculum Connections: Social Studies, Geography, Physical Education and Health, Science.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.4
Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

Additional Information
64 pages | 5.25" x 7.75" | Paperback

Benny loves bananas. He eats them morning, noon, and night. He even rides a bike with a yellow banana seat. In fact, Benny has a secret, he hopes one day he will turn into a banana! And if there is one thing Benny knows, it’s that with a little imagination anything is possible.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 5.

Additional Information
28 pages | 9.50" x 9.50" | Hardcover 

Filled with lots of glitter, raised pinkies, and humorous misunderstandings, this second book in the Jo Jo Makoons series—written by Dawn Quigley and illustrated by Tara Audibert—is filled with the joy of a young Ojibwe girl discovering her very own special shine from the inside out.

First grader Jo Jo Makoons knows how to do a lot of things, like how to play jump rope, how to hide her peas in her milk, and how to be helpful in her classroom.

But there’s one thing Jo Jo doesn’t know how to do: be fancy. She has a lot to learn before her Aunt Annie’s wedding!

Favorite purple unicorn notebook in hand, Jo Jo starts exploring her Ojibwe community to find ways to be fancy.

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 6 to 10.

This book is the second in the Jo Jo Makoons series. 

The Heartdrum imprint centers a wide range of intertribal voices, visions, and stories while welcoming all young readers, with an emphasis on the present and future of Indian Country and on the strength of young Native heroes. In partnership with We Need Diverse Books.

Additional Information
96 pages | 5.12" x 7.62" | Paperback

In each new adventure, Putuguq and Kublu learn about an element of Inuit mythology from their Elders, sometimes using what they learn to get the best of each other!

Putuguq and Kublu are at their grandparents’ house for lunch—caribou stew, Putuguq’s favourite! Putuguq’s worn out (and stinky!) kamiik remind his grandparents of the story of the amautalik and the orphan, a traditional Inuit story about a little orphan who outsmarts a child-stealing ogress. Grandmother’s storytelling over lunch starts Putuguq’s imagination running wild . . .

After lunch, Putuguq and Kublu decide to play a game of hide-and-seek. But, for Putuguq, this is no ordinary game. The house is full of strange noises, and what is that hulking figure? Could an amautalik really be stalking him inside his grandparents’ house? Putuguq is about to find out!

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 6 to 8.

This book is part of the Putuguq & Kublu series.

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

Hello/Boozhoo—meet Jo Jo Makoons! Full of pride, joy, and plenty of humor, this first book in an all-new chapter book series by Dawn Quigley celebrates a spunky young Ojibwe girl who loves who she is.

Jo Jo Makoons Azure is a spirited seven-year-old who moves through the world a little differently than anyone else on her Ojibwe reservation. It always seems like her mom, her kokum (grandma), and her teacher have a lot to learn—about how good Jo Jo is at cleaning up, what makes a good rhyme, and what it means to be friendly.

Even though Jo Jo loves her #1 best friend Mimi (who is a cat), she’s worried that she needs to figure out how to make more friends. Because Fern, her best friend at school, may not want to be friends anymore…

Reviews
"Young readers will revel in the humor this chapter book offers: the wordplay, the nicknames, and Jo Jo’s irrepressible narrative voice... A joyful book about growing up Native in a loving community—not to be missed." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 6 to 10.

This is the first book in the Jo Jo Makoons series.

This book is published by the Heartdrum imprint, which centers a wide range of intertribal voices, visions, and stories while welcoming all young readers, with an emphasis on the present and future of Indian Country and on the strength of young Native heroes. In partnership with We Need Diverse Books.

Additional Information
80 pages | 5.12" x 7.62"

Moar has always loved autumn—playing outside with his friends, feeling the weather get colder—but there is one thing about autumn that really worries Moar. The moon. The days become shorter and the moon, with its creepy face and eerie smile, seems to be looking down on him before he can even get home from school! So, one day, Moar is determined to get home before the moon appears in the sky. But there are so many fun things to do on the way home, he may just run out of time!

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 5 to 7.

A fun and gentle social-emotional exploration of fear.

Themes: Iqaluit, Inuit, Nunavut, Indigenous, Moon, Arctic, Autumn, Imagination and Play

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

When the narrator of this fun and silly book is startled by the buzzing of a bee, she sets off on an adventure that sees her running from community to community, trying to lose her buzzing companion. When she has run clear across Nunavut, she finally realizes that perhaps this little bee isn’t such a fearsome foe after all!

Reviews
"Should delight little ones with rhythmic and repetitive words and actions." —Kirkus

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 5 to 7.

Themes: Nunavut, Indigenous, Qaariaq, Arctic, fear of bees.

Includes an Inuktitut pronunciation guide.

The Bee is based on the author's award-winning song "Qaariaq".

Additional Information
28 pages | 8.50" x 8.50" | Hardcover 

What toddler likes getting their diaper changed?

In this hilarious rhyming book, a little boy sees his world crumble around him as his mother prepares to change his diaper. But surrounded by a little love and feeling fresh and clean, he realizes that things may not be so terrible after all . . . unless he ever needs his diaper changed again!

Fun for babies, toddlers, and parents alike, this humorous book brings to life a scene familiar to all parents.

Reviews
"The cartoon-like illustrations from Vancouver’s Emma Pedersen drolly capture the cherubic child’s wide-eyed, histrionic view of his world...The melodramatic, rhyming text offers over-the-top comic relief while keenly bringing the stressors in an infant’s life into sharp, magnified focus" — Quill & Quire

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 2 and under. 

Inspired by the experiences of the author as a mother.

Additional Information
28 pages | 9.50" x 9.50" | Hardcover

Donovan is hungry for a special kind of breakfast . . . BEAR!

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 story was inspired by Donovan, a first-grader in La Loche, Saskatchewan, a Chippewan 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!

This resource is also available in French: Un ours pour dejeuner!

This book is also available in English and Algonquin:Bear for Breakfast / Makwa kidji kijeba wisiniyan

Additional Information
32 pages

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"

Josh, Mark, Angela and their friends have been waiting for years to go on the class trip to Drumheller, Alberta. Now they are finally the oldest kids at Pleasant Valley grade school and can get excited about the overnight outing. But first, they have a lot of learn about what they'll see in the dinosaur capital of the world. And they have to raise money for all the pizza they are going to eat on the trip! Once they finally get going, a frightening encounter with a slithery serpent leads to an amazing discovery. One that might be even better than all-you-can-eat deep dish!

Educator & Series Information
Recommended Grades: 2-4

This book is part of the Orca Echoes series of early chapter books intended to engage young readers while promoting personal development and social responsibility.  

Additional Information
88 pages | 7.62" x 5.25"

Siku and Kamik are ready for a snack!

This humorous story describes how Siku and Kamik show they are hungry and what they will do to get a treat.

Educator Information 
This book is part of the Nunavummi Reading Series, a Nunavut-developed series that supports literacy learning while teaching readers about the people, traditions, and environment of the Canadian Arctic.  It is a Level 8 book in the series. 

Nunavummi Reading Series books have also been officially levelled using the Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient™ Levelling System. This book's F&P Level is F.

Curriculum Connections: Language and literacy; Diversity; Environmental Awareness; Identity.

Recommended for ages 4-6.

Additional Information 
24 pages | 8.00" x 8.00"

Two tales, set in a time “when animals and human beings still talked to each other,” display Thomas King’s cheeky humor and master storytelling skills. Freshly illustrated and reissued as an early chapter book, these stories are perfect for newly independent readers.

In Coyote Sings to the Moon, Coyote is at first the cause of misfortune. In those days, when the moon was much brighter and closer to the earth, Old Woman and the animals would sing to her each night. Coyote attempts to join them, but his voice is so terrible they beg him to stop. He is crushed and lashes out — who needs Moon anyway? Furious, Moon dives into a pond, plunging the world into darkness. But clever Old Woman comes up with a plan to send Moon back up into the sky and, thanks to Coyote, there she stays.

In Coyote’s New Suit, mischievous Raven wreaks havoc when she suggests that Coyote’s toasty brown suit is not the finest in the forest, thus prompting him to steal suits belonging to all the other animals. Meanwhile, Raven tells the other animals to borrow clothes from the humans’ camp. When Coyote finds that his closet is too full, Raven slyly suggests he hold a yard sale, then sends the human beings (in their underwear) and the animals (in their ill-fitting human clothes) along for the fun. A hilarious illustration of the consequences of wanting more than we need.

Reviews
"Coyote Tales features two tales crafted together to reflect on a time when animals and humans still spoke to each other. The two uniquely crafted works teach lessons and demonstrate how to think and reflect, displaying the many ways to solve problems." - The Dalai Lama Center

Educator Information
Recommended for Grades K-4 English Language Arts.

Curriculum Connections: Social Studies, Language Arts, History, Indigenous Studies.

Recommended Ages: 6 - 9.

This book is available in French: Contes de Coyote.

Additional Information
56 pages | 5.25" x 7.75"

Best friends Ukaliq and Kalla are about to go on an outdoor adventure, sliding at the park!

This book uses a humorous sequential story to teach children about outdoor safety.

Educator Information
This book is part of the Nunavummi Reading Series, a Nunavut-developed series that supports literacy learning while teaching readers about the people, traditions, and environment of the Canadian Arctic. Ukaliq and Kalla Go Sliding is a Level 9 book in the Nunavummi series.

Nunavummi Reading Series books have also been officially levelled using the Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient™ Levelling System. Ukaliq and Kalla Go Sliding's F&P Level is G.

Recommended for ages 5-7.

Additional Information
28 pages | 8.00" x 6.00"

Big Sister is learning what it's like when Little Brother isn't so little anymore!

This book uses a repeating sentence structure to help children follow the humorous family story, and will help children understand the concept of changing family roles.

Educator Information
This book is part of the Nunavummi Reading Series, a Nunavut-developed series that supports literacy learning while teaching readers about the people, traditions, and environment of the Canadian Arctic. My Little Brother is a Level 8 book in the series.

Nunavummi Reading Series books have also been officially levelled using the Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient™ Levelling System. My Little Brother's F&P Level is I.

Recommended for ages 4-6

Additional Information
20 pages | 7.00" x 9.00"