Browse Books for Kids

A joyful exploration of a child’s loving relationship with the land that supports and nurtures her as she grows

You Are the Land is a vivid ode to belonging within a family, within a community, and within the natural world.

From the day she’s born, a child feels the love and power that come with being part of something bigger. She’s a new spring leaf, alive and growing, as strong as the ancient cedars and as radiant as the glittering night sky. She is one with the amazing forces of nature that surround and nurture her, and that she nurtures in return.

Through inspiring words and sweeping illustrations, renowned artist Steph Littlebird’s stunning debut celebrates our connection to the land and shows how we perfectly mirror its beauty and resilience.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 7.

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.50" x 10.50" | 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

A joyful, proud and groundbreaking collection of letters and art for young people, You Were Made for This World brings together celebrated Indigenous voices from across Turtle Island.

Every young person deserves the chance to feel like they belong, that they are recognized, that they matter. In the spirit of A Velocity of Being: Letters to a Young Reader, You Were Made for This World brings together forty Indigenous writers, artists, activists, athletes, scholars and thinkers with a joint purpose: to celebrate the potential of young people, to share a sense of joy and pride in language, traditional and personal stories and teachings, and shared experiences, and to honor young people for who they are and what they dream of.

Including contributions from activist Autumn Peltier, singer/songwriter Tanya Tagaq, hockey player Ethan Bear, Governor General's Award–winning author David A. Robertson, artists Chief Lady Bird and Christi Belcourt, illustrator Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, and dozens of others, this beautifully collaborative collection urges readers to think about who they are, where they come from and where they're going, with a warm familiarity that will inspire you to see yourself and your community with proud eyes.

Also includes a ribbon bookmark.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 8 to 12.

Additional Information
120 pages | 7.50" x 10.00" | Hardcover

You Are Not Alone is an illustrated children's book about growing up in the North as an Inuit child and looking for friends. This book is a debut collaboration between Tagiuk Ikkidluak, an emerging Inuit author and Arnaq Pitsiulak, an Inuit artist and illustrator.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Additional Information
26 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | Paperback

Educator Information
You Are the Land is a perfect read-aloud for children ages 3 to 6 in both classrooms and homes.

Curriculum Connections:
Early Literacy – listening, reading, discussing, and rhyming

Art – traditional Anishinaabe clothing and art

Health and Wellness – breath and balance, self-affirmation, connection to nature for physical health and wellness, and traditional medicines

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

Social Responsibility – uplifting others and ourselves, respecting Mother Earth

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

This book is included in the Indigenous Books for Schools database from the Association of Book Publishers of BC. It is recommended for K to 2 classrooms for English Language Arts, Physical and Health Education, Science, and Social Studies.

Series Information
You Are the Land is the second book in the All That You Are series. Through lyrical text and colourful watercolour illustrations, the All That You Are series uses the teachings of the Anishinaabe Medicine Wheel to remind children of their connection to the world around them. Each book in the series focuses on one quadrant of the Medicine Wheel representing one kind of wellness—Spiritual, Physical, Emotional, or Mental. A diagram and description of the Medicine Wheel are included at the back of each book. Also included are Anishinaabe Connections, which share more about Anishinaabe art, culture, and traditions explored in the text and illustrations. 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.

You Are Sacred is the first book in the series.

A percentage of proceeds from the All That You Are 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/.

Additional Information
24 Pages | 8" x 8" | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-77174-632-8

Encourage children to show love and support for each other and to consider each other’s well-being in their everyday actions.

Award-winning author and international speaker Monique Gray Smith wrote You Hold Me Up to prompt a dialogue among young people, their care providers and educators about reconciliation and the importance of the connections children make with others. With vibrant illustrations from award-winning author and illustrator Danielle Daniel, this is a foundational book about building relationships, fostering empathy and encouraging respect between peers, starting with our littlest citizens.

Educator Information
This board book version of You Hold Me Up is recommended for ages 2 and under.

This book is available in hardcover: You Hold Me Up

This book is available in English and Plains Cree: You Hold Me Up / ê-ohpinitoyahk

This book is available in English and Anishinaabemowin: You Hold Me Up / Gimanaadenim 

This book is also available in French: Tu es là pour moi

Additional Information
24 pages | 7.00" x 7.00" | Board Book

Educator Information
You Are Sacred is a perfect read-aloud for children ages 3 to 6 in both classrooms and homes. 

Curriculum Connections:
Early Literacy – listening, reading, and discussing

Art – 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 

Series Information
You Are Sacred is the first book in the All That You Are series. 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.

You Are the Land is the second book in the series.

A percentage of proceeds from the All That You Are 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/.

Additional Information
24 Pages | 8" x 8" | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-77174-629-8

A mother. A story. A curious child.

“How did I get in your belly?” a child asks his mother. “Well, it’s a magical story...” she tells him. In this lyrical love letter from mother to son, a woman reflects on her journey to motherhood. From learning to care for others to honouring family members through Inuit naming practices, this touching book celebrates all the ways in which a child is loved.

Written by Inuit author, throat singer, and filmmaker Tanya Snow, You Come From the Stars showcases a mother's tenderness for her child against the backdrop of the stunning Arctic tundra.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 8.

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

Coauthored by one of the grandsons of Mahatma Gandhi, this gentle guide to cultivating peace will find a welcome place at home and in classrooms.

Peace is you. Peace is me.
Peace is the great big WE of community.

Where can we find peace? It shows in the way we walk, stand, or form a circle. It can be found when we play or dig in the garden, speak up or ask for help, or sit still and listen to the silence. Whether we’re learning, taking turns, or getting past hurt feelings and misunderstandings, peace is always there, as long as we look at one another, ready to discover. Drawing on the philosophies of Mahatma Gandhi and educator Maria Montessori, coauthors Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus offer an inviting primer brought to life through the warm, wondrous illustrations of Colombian artist Andrés Landazábal. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “If we are to teach real peace in this world . . . we shall have to begin with children.” You, Me, We does just that, as it celebrates the peace that can be found in us all.

Reviews
"Peace takes center stage in this picture book co-authored by the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. . . . Soft, gentle artwork with a cotton-candy feeling infuses the narrative with warmth and depicts the students playing, meditating, and sharing. . . a good starting point to spark discussions about peace and community-building. . . Will encourage young readers to give peace a chance." —Kirkus Reviews

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 6.

Additional Information
32 pages | 11.00" x 9.38" | Hardcover

Depuis plus de dix ans, Fils-d’Areskwe règne en maître sur la forêt des Têtes-Coupées. Le tribut qu’il exige est énorme. Les vils oki de la forêt maudite sont affamés et les habitants du village qu’habite Yawendara sont terrorisés. Jour après jour, les gens se demandent qui sera la prochaine victime.

Lorsque Grand-Mère tombe malade à son tour, Yawendara sollicite l’aide du Grand Conseil des animaux. Pressée par le temps, elle doit tenter l’impossible pour guérir Grand-Mère.

La jeune fille ira-t-elle jusqu’à tenir tête à Fils-d’Areskwe?

Educator Information
Dès 10 ans

Yesterday's Rain is the second book in the Sydney's Journey Series. Sydney is still working through her guilt over being a bully at her previous school on the White Earth Reservation. When she accidently takes a punch in the face that was aimed at her gay friend, everyone expects her to fight back, but her response is totally unexpected. Bullies can change, as Sydney proves at her new school. Can Sydney help her best friend heal an old friendship by demonstrating forgiveness?

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for grades 7 to 9.

Fry Reading Level: 4

This book is part of the PathFinders Collection of Indigenous Hi-Lo- novels. Interest level is pre-teen on up. 

The PathFinders series of Hi-Lo (high interest, low readability) novels offers the following features:

• Indigenous teen protagonists
• Age-appropriate plots
• 2.5 – 4.5 Reading Level
• Contemporary and historical fiction
• Indigenous authors

The PathFinders series is from an American publisher. Therefore, Indigenous terminology in the PathFinders books is not the same as Canadian Indigenous terminology. This prompts a useful teaching moment for educators in discussing appropriate terminology use in Canada.

This book is Book 2 in the Sydney's Journey series.

Additional Information
118 pages | 4.50" x 6.75" | Paperback

Larry Loyie, award-winning Cree author, educator, and playwright writes honestly, tenderly, with laughter as well as sadness about his traditional childhood interrupted by six years in residential school. Three books in the Lawrence Series are included in Young Man, True Stories of a Cree Childhood. This book includes 53 photographs from the author’s life.

Educator Information
Recommended for grades 4 to 9.

This anthology includes three books:

• Goodbye Buffalo Bay
• The Moon Speaks Cree
• When the Spirits Dance

Additional Information
200 Pages | Paperback 

Encourage children to show love and support for each other and to consider each other’s well-being in their everyday actions.

Consultant, international speaker and award-winning author Monique Gray Smith wrote You Hold Me Up to prompt a dialogue among young people, their care providers and educators about reconciliation and the importance of the connections children make with others. With vibrant illustrations from celebrated artist Danielle Daniel, this is a foundational book about building relationships, fostering empathy and encouraging respect between peers, starting with our littlest citizens.

This is the dual-language English and Anishinaabemowin edition.

Reviews
"You Hold Me Up is a rhythmic story that reinforces for young readers about reconciliation and the importance of the connections children make with others. The story aims to encourage children to build relationships, foster empathy and encourage respect between peers while considering each other’s well-being in their everyday actions." — The Dalai Lama Center 

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 5.

This is a dual-language book: English and Anishinaabemowin.

This book is also available in English only: You Hold Me Up

This book is available in a board book format in English for younger audiences: You Hold Me Up (BB)

This book is also available in English and Plains Cree: You Hold Me Up / ê-ohpinitoyahk

This book is also available in French: Tu es là pour moi

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | Hardcover

Water warriors and tree protectors, Ethan and Isla cook, have many questions to ask Siri about the state of the world.  This book is their conversation, with pictures by their dad, Rande.

Illustrations with conversations are an Indigenous way of showing rather than telling, and Yo! Wiksas? is a great book for curious kids who ask big questions, and adults who help them discover answers about bullying, environmental protection, inclusivity, and more. Also a useful classroom adjunct to interpersonal relationships; includes an on-end study guide.

The book shows an illustrated conversation between Isla and Ethan, son and daughter of Kwakwaka’wakw Chief Rande Ola K’alapa, a much-loved artist of mixed European and Indigenous descent, and their invisible friend Siri. Isabel Rogers, also a kid, is part of the story-telling process.

Reviews
Excerpt from the Afterword from the author:

Educator Information
This book was developed by Linda Rogers and Rande Cook (Rande Ola K'alapa). It is questions for the Creator that have been diverted to Siri, a game Rande plays with his kids Ethan and Isla. 

Consider this book to be a bridge, a route to one important thing: Kindness... The books' creators want lots and lots of kids to share in on their fun and to think about their own questions, and discover their own answers.

Includes a Kwak'wala glossary, as well as an Afterword and Study Guide. 

Additional Information
76 pages | 8.00" x 9.00"

Authenticity Note: Because this story is a collaborative effort, with words by Linda Rogers with big helps from Isla, Ethan, Isabel, and Siri, and illustrations from Rande Cook, it has been given the Authentic Indigenous Text and Artwork labels.  It's up to readers to determine if the text in this work is authentic for their purposes.

This picture book explores how humans are inextricably connected to nature. This book draws examples from the clouds and the cosmos, the seafloor and the surface of our skin, to show how we are never alone: we are always surrounded and supported by nature. Whether it’s gravity holding us tight; our lungs breathing oxygen synthesized by plants; the countless microorganisms that build our immunity; or the whales whose waste fertilizes the plankton that feed the fish we eat: nature touches every aspect of how we live.

Using lyrical text grounded in current science alongside detailed diorama art, this informational picture book presents the idea that we thrive through connections to the land and sea and sky, and togetherness is key to nature. It encourages inquiry-based learning, inviting readers to wonder, ask questions, observe the natural world, and engage with big ideas. An author’s note at the end offers more insight into the research behind the text.

Reviews
"it is all elegantly presented in soaring, vivid language...breathtakingly beautiful." — Kirkus Reviews - STARRED REVIEW

Educator Information
Curriculum Connections: Language Arts (Skills and Strategies); Science (Life Science, Animals, Environment, Biology, Life Systems)

This book evokes the interconnectedness of nature and is based on scientific research, with cross-curricular links to STEAM, inquiry-based learning, and more.

Reading Level: Grade 5
Fountas & Pinnell: S
Lexile Measure: 820L

Recommended for ages 4+

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.25" x 10.25" | full-colour illustrations, photographed 3D dioramas