Browse Books for Kids

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 

Un album illustré autochtone festif et joyeux qui explore à la fois les traditions de Noël et la culture anichinabée.

Un jour de solstice d’hiver, maman dit : « Bébé, nous rentrons chez nous, à la réserve. Nous allons passer un Noël anichinabé. » Mais c’est le premier Noël de Bébé loin de la ville, et iel se fait du souci et se pose beaucoup de questions :

Comment le père Noël saura-t-il où les trouver?

Pourquoi recevons-nous des cadeaux à Noël?

Comment se fait-il qu’ils rentrent chez eux à la réserve alors qu’ils n’y vivent pas?

Au cours du long trajet qui les mène chez Mooshom et Kookom, Bébé apprend que les animaux font partie de leur famille, et que le chez-soi, c’est l’endroit d’où l’on vient. Iel apprend même la signification de certains mots anichinabés. Est-ce que ce sera le meilleur Noël de Bébé?

Reviews
« Un livre réconfortant et magnifiquement conçu qui transmet la joie de Noël à travers le prisme de la culture anichinabée. » ~ School Library Journal, critique coup de cœur

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 7.

This book is available in English: An Anishinaabe Christmas.

Additional Information
48 pages | 8.78" x 10.33" | Hardcover 

One day, Ullak forgets her grandma's warning about playing on the ice pans and is suddenly kidnapped by a sea monster.

Ullak is brought to Sanna, the ruler of the seas and all the mammals in it, at the bottom of the sea. Together they visit different Arctic sea animals and learn all about them. Ullak is having a lot of fun exploring underwater, but it's getting late. Will she be able to convince Sanna to help her find her way home?

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 8 to 10.

F&P Level: R

Ullak and the Creatures of the Sea features Sanna, a prominent figure in Inuit traditional stories.

Additional Information
48 pages | 6.00" x 9.00" | Paperback

Team Tuktu and Friends is up to bat! Ukaliq is excited to spend the day with his friends, but he’s nervous about playing Inuktitut baseball. What if he isn’t any good at it? Tiri is fast, Nanuq is strong, and Tuktu has good aim. What if Ukaliq can’t even hit the ball? As the game ramps up and Ukaliq steps up to the plate, will he be able to discover his own unique baseball talent?

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 3 - 5.

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.

Ukaliq Learns to Play Inuktitut Baseball shows children that everyone has their own unique skills.

F&P Level: L

Bilingual: English and Inuktitut

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.00" x 10.00" | Paperback

Bugz, une adolescente autochtone, se retrouve à cheval entre deux univers : la réalité et le monde virtuel (le « Floraverse »). Dans le monde réel, elle est timide et mal dans sa peau. Elle vit du stress sous différentes formes – anxiété adolescente et vie en réserve obligent. Mais dans le monde virtuel, loin de la « Rez », son alter ego a non seulement pleine confiance en elle-même, mais domine complètement le jeu dans cet univers vidéo multijoueur d’envergure internationale. Bugz rencontre Feng, un jeune dissident expulsé par la Chine et venu vivre avec sa tante médecin sur la réserve. Bugz et Feng s’entendent immédiatement à merveille : deux marginaux et avides joueurs en ligne. Mais la relation est mise à mal lorsque Bugz se voit trahie et que tout ce qu’elle a bâti dans le jeu s’écroule. Il leur faudra à tous deux puiser dans des forces insoupçonnées pour restaurer leur amitié et réconcilier les aspects parallèles de leurs vies : la tradition avec la culture de masse, l’Orient et l’Occident, le réel et le virtuel…

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 12+.

This book is part of the Le Floraverse series.

This book is available in English: Walking in Two Worlds

Additional Information
Paperback

Un soir, alors que Challa rentre à la maison en larmes après que l'on se soit moqué de son sourire, sa mère lui offre un cadeau spécial. Elle lui donne un miroir particulier, qui lui a été offert par sa propre mère, qui l’a elle-même reçu de sa djo djo, et lui explique que quand on regarde dans le miroir, on voit qui l’on est vraiment. Il n’y a qu’une règle à respecter : tous doivent dire ce qu’ils voient dans le miroir. Le miroir montrera-t-il à Challa combien elle est magnifique?

Cette histoire spéciale de la militante primée Sunshine Tenasco et de l’artiste Chief Lady Bird enseigne aux lecteurs que la vraie beauté vient de l’intérieur.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 8.

This book is available in English: Smile So Big

Additional Information
32 pages | 9.75" x 9.77" | Hardcover 

Ukpik, une jeune fille qui habite dans le Grand Nord canadien, est ravie de découvrir l’existence d’objets pratiques qu’un capitaine a apportés avec lui en bateau.Mais bientôt, elle commence à se demander si leur introduction dans son campement est un signe que son mode de vie va changer.Ce magnifique album sur la vie familiale et communautaire, écrit par la musicienne primée Susan Aglukark, charmera les jeunes lecteurs.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 3+

This book is available in English: Una Huna? What Is This?

Unikkaaqtuat is the Inuktitut word meaning "to tell stories."

This definitive collection of Inuit legends is thoughtfully introduced and carefully annotated to provide the historical and cultural context in which to understand this rich oral tradition. Fascinating and educational, this little-known part of Canada's heritage will captivate readers of all ages. As a work of historical and cultural preservation, this textbook will be invaluable to those studying Inuit.

Additional Information
320 pages | 8.00" x 10.00" | 100 b&w line drawings | Hardcover | 2nd Edition

Ukpik’s mother is eager to teach Ukpik how to prepare caribou skin, dry it, and use it to sew a pair of simple, useful mitts. But Ukpik can’t stop thinking about the beautiful new beads her mother traded the Captain for on his last visit. They are so bright and beautiful! Anaana knows it is more important for Ukpik to learn the skills she will need to make her own clothing in the cold Arctic climate, so she insists that Ukpik sit with her and learn the basics, while having a bit of fun, too. Though Anaana won’t let Ukpik sew with the new beads just yet, she does have a surprise for Ukpik that will let her enjoy the new-found treasures while also learning the skills she will need to provide for herself and her family.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 6 to 8.

Additional Information
36 pages | 8.00" x 9.00" | Hardcover 

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 the French and Inuktitut version of The Big Blizzard.

Additional Information
9.00" x 8.00" | Paperback

The climate crisis is the issue of our time.

Scientists have warned for over 100 years that burning fossil fuels and destroying nature will warm the earth's atmosphere and affect the climate in adverse ways: more severe and intense storms, prolonged heat waves, drought, flooding, wildfires, rising sea levels and ocean acidification.

Urgent Message from a Hot Planet: Navigating the Climate Crisis outlines the science behind global heating and its root causes, provides ways to take action and honors the efforts of the millions of youth and adult allies from around the world working tirelessly to make a difference. Their powerful message: do something now!

Reviews
“[An] accessible first-person narrative that makes space for emotions as well as scientific facts and figures...A well-researched and emotionally impactful call to make choices that revitalize nature and our planet.”— Kirkus Reviews

“I encourage any interested youth – and their parents – to read this book. It is an amazing achievement – comprehensive and informative, stretching from climate science to the intersecting issues of inequality and racism. Ultimately, it is a toolbox for hope.” — Elizabeth May, Member of Parliament, Saanich-Gulf Islands and former leader of the Green Party of Canada

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 12+

A free, downloadable poster is available for this book: Poster - Urgent Message from a Hot Planet: Navigating the Climate Crisis

Additional Information
216 pages | 6.00" x 8.50" | Paperback 

Uliaq loves animals! One of his favourite animals is the arctic char. In this book, Uliaq gives facts about arctic char, where they live, what they eat, and why they are amazing!

Educator & Series 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 9 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 K.

Curriculum Connections: Readers learn about the natural environment of the Arctic in this book and focus specifically on a fish found in the Arctic, the arctic char. 

Recommended ages: 6 to 8.

Additional Information
24 pages | 6.00" x 8.00" | colour photographs

Uliaq loves animals! One of his favourite animals is the muskox. In this book, Uliaq gives facts about muskox, where they live, what they eat, and why they are amazing!

Educator & Series 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 9 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 K.

Curriculum Connections: Environmental awareness, life systems, Arctic animals 

Recommended ages: 6 to 8.

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

Do you know your watershed address? We all have one, whether we live high up in a mountain, on an inland prairie or near the coast. A watershed is an area of land that channels rain and snowmelt into streams, rivers and oceans. Our lives are deeply intertwined with land and water and all the connections between them. Day-to-day activities—like brushing our teeth, eating a meal, getting a ride in a car or even using an electronic device—have consequence for our own or someone else's watershed.

Over the centuries we've changed the land by farming it, cutting down the trees on it, digging into it and building on it. We've also learned how to control water—where it goes and how much flows. Upstream, Downstream explores the consequences of the pressures people place on watersheds and highlights some of the heroes making a difference for watersheds around world.

Reviews
“The combination of Rae’s interests and expertise has produced a book that will inform and engage young readers and encourage them to make a difference by getting involved. Highly Recommended.”— CM: Canadian Review of Materials

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 9 to 12.

Looks at the good and the bad of our interactions with watersheds around the world.

Includes examples of people, including kids, doing positive things for the environment.

Introduces several basic concepts in biology and hydrology and illustrates them with real-world examples.

This book is part of the Orca Footprint series. Kids today inhabit a world full of complex—and often mystifying—environmental issues. Orca Footprints aim to help kids answer their questions about the state of the natural world with well-researched, simply-expressed information and powerful images. With topics such as food production, water, cycling and sustainable energy, these books will inspire kids to take action.

Additional Information
48 pages | 8.00" x 9.50" | Hardcover 

Celebrate diversity, math, and the power of storytelling!

When sisters Usha and Aarti look up at the stars, they see different things. Aarti sees the Big Dipper, but Usha sees the Big DIGGER. And cousin Gloria sees the Big Kite! Could they all be right? A playful introduction to geometry and spatial relationships, featuring Indian American characters and a note about cultures and constellations.

Storytelling Math celebrates children using math in their daily adventures as they play, build, and discover the world around them. Joyful stories and hands-on activities make it easy for kids and their grown-ups to explore everyday math together.

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 6.

The Storytelling Math series celebrates children using math in their daily adventures as they play, build, and discover the world around them. Joyful stories and hands-on activities make it easy for kids and their grown-ups to explore everyday math together. Developed in collaboration with math experts at STEM education nonprofit TERC, under a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation.

Additional Information
32 pages | 9.50" x 9.50" | Paperback