2021 - 2022 Selections

After his snowmobile breaks down halfway across the sea ice on a trip back from a fishing camp, Serapio Ittusardjuat recounts the traditional skills and knowledge he leaned on to stay alive.

This harrowing first-person account of four nights spent on the open sea ice—with few supplies and no water—shows young readers the determination and strength necessary to survive in the harsh Arctic climate, even when the worst occurs.

Awards

• 2022 Forest of Reading—Silver Birch Express Award

Reviews
"[T]he graphic novel How I Survived is a true story of Arctic survival written by Serapio Ittusardjuat, an Inuk stone carver and former mechanic.... This beautifully designed, highly engaging graphic novel should engross both reluctant readers and those seeking adventure." - Quill & Quire

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 12+

The original hardcover version was included in the Indigenous Books for Schools 2020/2021 resource list as being useful for grades 6 to 9 for English Language Arts and Social Studies.

Additional Information
48 pages | 7.25" x 9.75"

A young girl discovers nature’s surprising beauty in this tale from a renowned Inuit storyteller.

When Aggataa goes for a cold winter walk with her grandmother, she’s surprised by a sudden CRAH! All the birds have flown south for the winter except one kind—the tulugarguat, the ravens. They’re the ugliest birds that Aggaataa has ever seen. They look like they slept in their coats—coats that don’t even fit! However, as the winter slowly moves towards spring, Aggataa connects with one small raven in particular.

As the seasons change in full, the ravens leave and are replaced by seagulls, cranes, geese, ducks, and swans—all of them far more elegant than the “Ugly Bird.” But where Aggataa once thought the ravens odd for visiting during the harshest part of the year, she now finds herself watching the horizon, waiting for the return of the most amazing bird.

This touching story by award-winning author Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak reminds us of our lasting connection to nature, while art by celebrated illustrator Andrew Qappik illuminates the enduring magic of the changing seasons.

Awards

• 2020 Top 10 Picture Books of the Year, The Globe and Mail joint winner
• 2020 Kirkus Best Books List joint winner

Reviews
“The illustrations enrich the text and celebrate the heartwarming message that nature is a wonderful gift that we can connect to and relish.”— Storywraps

“Stunningly contemporary and amazingly timeless.”— Kirkus Reviews

“Sparse illustrations of arctic flora and fauna against the unforgiving snow and ice make this picture book immersive.” — Foreword Reviews

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 7.

Michael's story is about connection to nature and each other.

The art in this story is an authentic depiction of the Arctic landscape and provides the Inuit names for the birds.

Additional Information
40 pages | 9.50" x 6.90" | Paperback

What does it mean to be Mi’kmaq? And if Swift Fox can’t find the answer, will she ever feel like part of her family?

When Swift Fox’s father picks her up to go visit her aunties, uncles, and cousins, her belly is already full of butterflies. And when he tells her that today is the day that she’ll learn how to be Mi’kmaq, the butterflies grow even bigger. Though her father reassures her that Mi’kmaq is who she is from her eyes to her toes, Swift Fox doesn’t understand what that means. Her family welcomes her with smiles and hugs, but when it’s time to smudge and everyone else knows how, Swift Fox feels even more like she doesn’t belong.

Then she meets her cousin Sully and realizes that she’s not the only one who’s unsure—and she may even be the one to teach him something about what being Mi’kmaq means. Based on the author’s own experience, with striking illustrations by Maya McKibbin, Swift Fox All Along is a poignant story about identity and belonging that is at once personal and universally resonant.

Reviews
“A touching and universal narrative . . . This title should definitely be added to any list of recommended children’s books focused on Indigenous life, family, tradition, feelings, anxiety, fear and self-regulation. Swift Fox All Along is also brimming with cross-curricular applications for school use, including incorporation with science, social studies, history, language, and mental health. Highly Recommended.” — CM Reviews

“Highlights the importance of connections to culture and self.”  — Kirkus Reviews, 07/28/20

"This is a straightforward tale of a girl finding her way into a culture that is her heritage, yet new to her. As such, it works effectively. This may suit libraries in need of more modern ­Native picture books with child appeal.” — School Library Journal, 08/20

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 7.

Own voices: Illustrator Maya McKibbin is a two-spirited Yaqui, Ojibwe and Irish. Author Rebecca Thomas is an award-winning Mi’kmaw poet. The story is deeply personal. Rebecca is of mixed heritage and grew up off-reserve and was 6 years old before she began getting to know her father. Her dad himself attended a residential school and had lost connection with his culture and language. This was something regained later with wider visits to his home community and wanted to share with his children. 

Important themes: the Indigenous story is full of universal themes including family, connection, identity and self-acceptance.

This book is available in French: Wowgwis de la tête aux pieds

Additional Information
36 pages | 9.00" x 10.25" | Paperback

Nuttah and Kitchi National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration is written by Sandra Samatte, Ojibwe - Saulteaux - from Skownan First Nation Treaty 2 Territory and illustrated by Julian Grafenauer, Ojibwe from Rolling River First Nation.

Come celebrate and explore with Nuttah and Kitchi on June 21st, the first day of summer as they experience all the exciting fun-filled activities and events that take place on National Indigenous Peoples Day.

Educator Information
Recommended for grades 2 to 5.

A companion activity book is available: Nuttah & Kitchi National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration Activity Book: Indigenous Teachings and Fun Activities for Everyone

Additional Information
32 Pages | Paperback

Pakak is in a new foster home, with new people, new food, and new smells. Feeling alone and uncertain, Pakak finds comfort in a secret shared with him by his anaanattiaq, his grandmother, and in the knowledge that he is loved no matter how far away his family may be.

Written as a gift for Inuit children in care by foster parents Kevin and Mary Qamaniq-Mason, this book is lovingly imbued with cultural familiarities that will resonate with children who, like Pakak, are navigating the unknown.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 5 to 7.

A heartwarming, beautifully illustrated story for foster children. This book can also be used as a tool to help children who aren't in care to understand fostering.

This book is available in French: Je suis aime

Additional Information
30 pages | 8.00" x 9.00"

Discover the wonder of ancient sea gardens on the Northwest Coast

Sea gardens have been created by First Peoples on the Northwest coast for more than three thousand years. These gardens consist of stone reefs that are constructed at the lowest tide line, encouraging the growth of clams and other marine life on the gently sloped beach.

This lyrical story follows a young child and an older family member who set out to visit a sea garden early one morning, as the lowest tides often occur at dawn. After anchoring their boat, they explore the beach, discover the many sea creatures that live there, hear the sputtering of clams and look closely at the reef. They reflect on the people who built the wall long ago, as well as those who have maintained it over the years. After digging for clams, they tidy up the beach, then return home.

An author’s note provides further information about sea gardens (also known as clam gardens), which yield a reliable food source and have been traditional places of learning. They have been found along the Pacific coast, from Alaska to British Columbia to Washington State, and some of these gardens are being restored today.

The manuscript has been vetted and approved by the scientists of the Clam Garden Network and Kwaxsistalla Wathl’thla Clan Chief Adam Dick. Roy Henry Vickers, whose ancestry includes the Tsimshian, Haida and Heiltsuk First Nations, has created hauntingly beautiful images to accompany the text.

Reviews
“The text and illustrations combine grace and knowledge, offering a stunning nonfiction picture book that celebrates First Nations cultural traditions.” — School Library Journal

“This engaging tale is a natural for lessons about ecology and units on Indigenous peoples, and the illustrations will pop for story-hour audiences.” — Booklist

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 5 to 8.

Recommended in the Indigenous Books for Schools 2020/2021 resource list as being useful for grades K to 3 for Science and Social Studies.

Additional Information
32 pages | 10.25" x 8.50"

Giizis—the sun—rises. What’s hiding in the trees?

It’s a Mitig! guides young readers through the forest while introducing them to Ojibwe words for nature. From sunup to sundown, encounter an amik playing with sticks and swimming in the river, a prickly gaag hiding in the bushes and a big, bark-covered mitig.

Featuring vibrant and playful artwork, an illustrated Ojibwe-to-English glossary and a simple introduction to the double-vowel pronunciation system, plus accompanying online recordings, It’s a Mitig! is one of the first books of its kind. It was created for young children and their families with the heartfelt desire to spark a lifelong interest in learning language.

Awards

• 2021 First Nation Communities Read 2021 Winner 

Reviews
"This is more than a treasure, It's a Migig is a song and a dance for the world in how fun it is to learn Anishinaabe from mentor and visionary Bridget George. I am completely charmed hoping this is the first in a series we can all enjoy together. Written with such love and tenderness, this is a gift for the world. Bravo and mahsi cho, Bridget George." — Richard Van Camp, author of Welcome Song for Baby and Little You

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 5.

Additional Information
32 pages | 10.70" x 9.55"

Jake and Kamik are finally ready to run their first dog sled race with a full team! But there is a lot to do to prepare, and Jake must follow his uncle’s lead if he and his dogs are going to be ready for the early spring race.

Kamik Takes the Lead is the fourth installment in the Kamik series of books following Kamik: An Inuit Puppy Story, Kamik’s First Sled, and Kamik Joins the Pack. Books in this series share traditional dog-rearing practices and dog-training techniques from the remote community of Arviat, Nunavut, through the life memories of community members. These books preserve the rich history of working dogs in Nunavut and celebrate the traditional bond between Inuit and their sled dogs.

Building on the dog-training practices outlined in Kamik Joins the Pack, Arviat, Nunavut, author and dog musher Darryl Baker shares with young readers the basic information needed to prepare a dog team for a race.

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 5-7.

Kamik Takes the Lead is the fourth installment in the Kamik series of books. Books in this series share traditional dog-rearing practices and dog-training techniques from the remote community of Arviat, Nunavut, through the life memories of community members. These books preserve the rich history of working dogs in Nunavut and celebrate the traditional bond between Inuit and their sled dogs. Building on the dog-training practices outlined in Kamik Joins the Pack, Arviat, Nunavut, author and dog musher Darryl Baker shares with young readers the basic information needed to prepare a dog team for a race.

Recommended in the Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools 2020/2021 resource list for grades K-2 as being useful in the areas of Language Arts and Social Studies.

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.50" x 8.50"

Akuluk is visiting her family in Nunavut and can’t wait to get out on her uncle’s boat for a ride into the powerful Arctic Ocean. Surrounded by her family, and with her trusty toy polar bear beside her, Akuluk experiences the beautiful sights, sounds, and animals that abound in the ocean and along the shore during the short Arctic summer—from a mother polar bear and her cubs to a family of belugas and tiny Arctic fox kits. As they encounter each animal, Akuluk’s aunt and uncles share with her how each species cares for its young, and how they protect their babies from the other animals who share their ecosystem.

This beautiful story of family connection and respect for the natural world teaches young readers how close humans are to our animal counterparts and that caring for the environment in which we live is one of our most important responsibilities.

Reviews
"Kits, Cubs, and Calves: An Arctic Summer goes beyond summer and gives a picture of life in the arctic for its people, its animals and the land, and it's a great place to visit through Suzie Napayok-Short and Tamara Campeau's work." — CanLit for Little Canadians

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 5 to 7.

Additional Information
32 pages | 9.00" x 8.00"

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"

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"

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

With bright and bold illustrations by celebrated Indigenous artist Roy Henry Vickers, this sturdy board book introduces iconic sounds of the West Coast and supports the language development of babies and toddlers. From the the crackle of a beach campfire to the swoosh of canoe paddles, the rustle and creak of cedars in the wind, the roar of sea lions and the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean, the rhythmic text, vibrant illustrations and glossy tactile finish of Raven Squawk, Orca Squeak will delight the very youngest readers.

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 3 and under.

This book is part of the First West Coast Books series.

Additional Information
20 pages | 6.00" x 6.00"

Thundering drums, rattling hooves, clinking jingles—come along with Paul, Jeff, and Uncle Lenard to the powwow!

Paul Wahasaypa—Siha Tooskin—has invited his friend, Jeff, to a powwow. It’s Jeff’s very first powwow, and is he ever nervous! What if he says or does the wrong thing? Grass dancers, Fancy Shawl dancers, Chicken dancers—what does it all mean? Follow along as Jeff learns all about the dances and their beautiful traditions. See you at the powwow!

The Siha Tooskin Knows series uses vivid narratives and dazzling illustrations in contemporary settings to share stories about an 11-year-old Nakota boy.

Reviews
"Charlene and Wilson have managed to capture the waves of excitement and anxiousness that come with dancing in a powwow. Their storytelling honours the dances and the community that forms around these events. They do not shy away from the negative history of colonization, but do so gently as a means of reinforcing why powwows are so important to our people. Siha Tooskin Knows the Love of Dance, with its words and illustrations, is a love letter to our family, culture, resilience, and pride." - Tanya Talaga, journalist and author

"This wonderful story is about Paul taking Jeff to his first powwow and Jeff learning how to appreciate and understand what a powwow is while also being worried that he will accidentally say something offensive. Jeff learns about the laws in Canada intended to restrict Indigenous activities such as powwows and he is visibly shaken-- not understanding how something so beautiful could be punished. This is such an important message and was handled so well.

Siha Tooskin Knows the Love of the Dance is a book for all ages that encourages readers to learn more about Indigenous groups and terms that are unfamiliar (the book has a glossary at the back). I am so excited to see that this is a series and I have so much more research to do based on the issues and traditions that the book discusses.

This is a book that is very much needed in Canada (although not just Canada) and I cannot articulate enough how much I enjoyed it and how much it will be with me in future. Truly, Charlene Bearhead, Wilson Bearhead, and Chloe Bluebird Mustooch deserve several awards for this book." — Emma Cuneo, NetGalley, September 2019

Educator & Series Information
The Siha Tooskin Knows series uses vivid narratives and dazzling illustrations in contemporary settings to share stories about an 11-year-old Nakota boy. Explore Nakota culture and traditions alongside Paul Wahasaypa and his community in this eight-book series.

Key Features:

• A coming-of-age story about a Nakota boy learning about his identity and developing a sense of cultural responsibility in a contemporary, urban setting. Also touches on issues of environmental ecology and bullying.
• Charlene Bearhead and Wilson Bearhead are both well-respected and accomplished educators and storytellers.
• A part of the Siha Tooskin Knows series with teachings that show an Indigenous community and family in a positive light.
• Nakota lessons aim for universality, informing both Indigenous and non-Indigenous readers.
• This book illustrates how traditional teachings can play a vital role in contemporary life.
• Dynamic illustrations by Nakota artist Chloe Bluebird Mustooch bring this story to life.

Recommended for ages 9 to 11.  Early Chapter Books.

Themes/Subjects/Keywords: Culture, Family, Friendship, Inclusivity, Nakota, Powwows, Dancing, Regalia.

Recommended in the Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools 2020/2021 resource list for Grades 3 to 6 in the areas of English and Social Studies.

Additional Information
40 pages | 5.50" x 8.00" | Colour Illustrations

Rocks, grass, trees, birds—what can they possibly teach human beings?

Paul Wahasaypa knows that Ena Makoochay (Mother Earth) gives us many things. On this compelling nature journey with Ena (his mom), we learn how strength, generosity, kindness, and humility are all shown to us by grandfather rocks, towering trees, four-legged ones, and winged ones, reminding us of the part we have to play in this amazing creation. Join Paul and Ena as they experience the beautiful nature of life.

The Siha Tooskin Knows series uses vivid narratives and dazzling illustrations in contemporary settings to share stories about an 11-year-old Nakota boy.

Educator & Series Information
The Siha Tooskin Knows series uses vivid narratives and dazzling illustrations in contemporary settings to share stories about an 11-year-old Nakota boy. Explore Nakota culture and traditions alongside Paul Wahasaypa and his community in this eight-book series.

Key Features:

• A coming-of-age story about a Nakota boy learning about his identity and developing a sense of cultural responsibility in a contemporary, urban setting. Also touches on issues of environmental ecology and bullying.
• Charlene Bearhead and Wilson Bearhead are both well-respected and accomplished educators and storytellers.
• A part of the Siha Tooskin Knows series with teachings that show an Indigenous community and family in a positive light.
• Nakota lessons aim for universality, informing both Indigenous and non-Indigenous readers.
• This book illustrates how traditional teachings can play a vital role in contemporary life.
• Dynamic illustrations by Nakota artist Chloe Bluebird Mustooch bring this story to life.

Recommended for ages 9 to 11.  Early Chapter Books.

Themes/Keywords/Subjects: Family, Sustainability, Ecology, Environmental Awareness, Nature, Nakota, Mother Earth.

This book also touches on historical events and happenings in Canadian and Indigenous history, such as the banning of potlatches and other ceremonies, residential schools, and more. 

Recommended in the Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools 2020/2021 resource list for Grades 3 to 6 in the areas of English, Science, and Social Studies.

This work offers an opportunity to learn the Nakota terminology that is translated in an attached glossary.

Additional Information
40 pages | 5.50" x 8.00" | Colour Illustrations