Browse Books for Kids

Everything in our world is precious and important whether it is big or small. Explore from the ocean to the sky and learn the names of the animals of all sizes that call the Northwest Coast home.

Educator Information
Soy-based ink and water-based protective coating. Made from paper sourced from sustainable forests.

For babies and toddlers.

Additional Information
20 pages; measures 6.5 in x 7.5 in | Board Book

In this second installment in the series, Billy and his friend Chigger continue their adventures in a hidden cave. After a horrifying accident at the cave, Billy is pronounced clinically dead on an operating table. After being revived, he discovers an ability to see and speak with the spirits of the dead including his deceased Cherokee grandmother. When Chigger becomes possessed by an alien creature, Billy knows he must return to the cave to save his friend. What he doesn’t know is that the Horned Serpent known to the Cherokees as Uktena is lying in wait.

Educator & Series Information
Ages: 12 to 16 / Reading level: 4.5

This novel is part of the Billy Buckhorn series, which is part of the PathFinder series. 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.  The recommended ages for books in the PathFinders series are 12-16.

Additional Information
120 pages | 4.50" x 7.00"

Billy Buckhorn's uncanny intuition became apparent at an early age. In the course of this exciting series, Billy's supernatural abilities grow and develop, and his reputation as a gifted "holy man" in the Old Way spreads throughout the Cherokee Nation. In book 3, Supranormal, Billy and his grandfather Wesley face a deadly, ancient beast that's poised to take control of the world. While Wesley and Billy summon aid from the spirit realms, Billy's father, a college professor, puts together an archaeological team to help out - and to document the unprecedented things they've seen and experienced. But even with everyone pulling together, can they stop Uktena?

Series Information
This novel is part of the Billy Buckhorn series, which is part of the PathFinder series. 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.  The recommended ages for books in the PathFinders series are 12-16.

Additional Information
128 pages | 4.50" x 7.00"

After her ikusin (grandmother) dies, Kai Hunter, a part-Navajo, part-Stoney Nakoda 16-year-old, runs away to Banff, Alberta, to avoid being placed in a foster home. Kai lies her way into a new identity, a job, and a safe place to live. She makes new friends and volunteers with a rapid attack crew for the forestry service. She even meets a great guy named Rory, who's into motorcycles, just like her - and who seems to be into her, too. But Kai is scared of being found out, and she isn't sure that she can trust all of her new friends...or that she likes the person she's pretending to be. Meanwhile, she's got to pay rent, figure out whether Rory is boyfriend material, and assist the rap-attack crew as they face a string of suspicious forest fires. In the thrilling conclusion to this romantic adventure, Kai's choices become matters of life and death.

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of the PathFinders series.

R.L. 3.5

Recommended for ages 12 to 16.

Additional Information
128 pages | 4.53" x 7.00"

Own all 3 titles in the series From the Mountains to the Sea!

The From the Mountains to the Sea series follows a river eco-system from its source high up in the mountains all the way to the estuary. Along the rivers path we introduce the cedar tree, the salmon which feeds the entire eco-system, the bear, eagle and orca. Each book is written with a science perspective on the lefthand pages and social studies on the righthand pages.

All 3 titles in the From the Mountains to the Sea series include:

Kindergarten: We Live Here
Click link to download a five-week Kindergarten planning guide:Kindergarten FREE Download for We Live Here

Grade 1: We Share the Seasons
Click link to download a five-week Grade 1 planning guide: Grade 1 FREE Download for We Share the Seasons

Grade 2: We Are a Community
Click link to download a Grade 2 five-week planning guide: Grade 2 FREE Download for We Are a Community

Also available, each book has its own bundle of items in our Book Bundles section.

This bundle is also available in French HERE!

Additional Information
Book dimensions: 10" x 14" | ISBN: 9781771745789

Each book in the series, From the Mountains to the Sea, supports the new BC Aboriginal Learning Standards in both Science and Social Studies.

Click link to download a Grade 2 five-week planning guide: Grade 2 FREE Download for We Are a Community

Back of book introduction:
From the Mountains to the Sea: We Are a Community is a Grade 2 resource, which covers all of your Aboriginal Learning Standards in both science and social studies within the new BC curriculum.

This book is about a river. Most rivers start high up in the mountains. As the water comes downhill, it makes little pathways in the rocks and gravel. As the pathways get bigger, they join to make streams. When several streams join, they make a river. Some rivers have waterfalls and deep pools. In some places, fast moving water tumbles over rocks forming rapids. When a river leaves the mountain for flatter ground it starts to slow down. Eventually, a river ends when it flows into the sea. Where the fresh water and the salt water meet is an estuary. Have you ever been to an estuary?

The area in and around an estuary is a good place for plants, animals and people to live because we can all find food and water there. The salmon is an important food for many of us. Have you ever eaten salmon?

People have paid attention to the life cycle of salmon for thousands of years. We have learned that sometimes we can help salmon survive by building a salmon hatchery along a river. Some hatcheries are huge while others are quite small. Have you ever visited a salmon hatchery?

There are many sizes of rivers in the world. Some are wide. Some are narrow. Some are deep. Some are shallow. Do you live near a river? What plants and animals have you seen there?

This book is also part of a bundled package that includes:

• a card game: matching and sequencing
• a CD
• bulletin board trimmers

Click here to view the bundle: From the Mountains to the Sea: We Are a Community Bundle

This resource is available in French: Collection Des montagnes à la mer: Nous sommes une communauté

Additional Information
Book dimensions: 10" x 14" | Pages: 16 | ISBN: 9781771741033

Each book in the series, From the Mountains to the Sea, supports the new BC Aboriginal Learning Standards in both Science and Social Studies.

From the Mountains to the Sea: We Live Here is a Kindergarten resource, which covers all of your Aboriginal Learning Standards in both science and social studies within the new BC curriculum.

Click link to download a five-week Kindergarten planning guide: Kindergarten FREE Download for We Live Here

Back of book introduction:
This book is about a river. Can you find a river on the front cover of this book? What do you know about rivers?

Most rivers start high up in the mountains. As the water comes down the hill, it makes little pathways in the rocks and gravel. As the pathways get bigger, they join to make streams. Sometimes the streams join together to make a river. Where a river leaves the mountains the ground flattens out, and the river slows down. The river ends when it flows into the sea.

The area in and around a river is a good place for plants, animals and people to live because we can all find food and water there. The salmon is an important food for many of us.

Some of the plants and animals that you will find in this book are:

• Cedar trees live and grow all the way along a river, from the mountains to the sea.
• Salmon spend their adult lives out in the open sea. When it is time to lay their eggs, they swim back to their home streams. Their home streams are sometimes very close to the mountains.
• Bears walk long distances to find their food. They live from the mountains to the sea. In the fall they go to the rivers to fish for salmon.
• Eagles fly over large areas looking for food. They live from the mountains to the sea. In the fall, they go to the rivers to feast on salmon.
• Orcas live in the open sea. They swim long distances to hunt for food. Some orcas eat salmon. 

This book is also part of a bundled package that includes:

• a Talking Feather
• rubber stamps
• bulletin board trimmers

Click here to view the bundle: From the Mountains to the Sea: We Live Here Bundle

This resource is available in French: Collection Des montagnes à la mer: Nous habitons ici 

Additional Information
Book dimensions: 10" x 14" | Pages: 16 | ISBN: 9781771741019

Each book in the series, From the Mountains to the Sea, supports the new BC Aboriginal Learning Standards in both Science and Social Studies.

Click link to download a five-week Grade 1 planning guide: Grade 1 FREE Download for We Share the Seasons

Back of book introduction:
From the Mountains to the Sea: We Share the Seasons is a Grade 1 resource, which covers all of your Aboriginal Learning Standards in both science and social studies within the new BC curriculum.

This book is about the changing seasons in and along a riverbank, from the mountains to the sea. You will see many plants and animals that live along a riverbank. They grow and change just as we do.

A season is one of the four parts of the year: winter, spring, summer and fall. We all share and experience the changing of the seasons. Some changes we all make are small. Other changes are big. We all grow and change. What do you know about the seasons?

Winter, up in the mountains can be cold. The days are short. Many animals sleep in their dens underneath the snow. Other animals are active all winter. Some birds and animals travel away to warmer places. Most plants rest during the winter too.

Spring, along the banks of a mountain stream, is a time when the weather feels warmer. The days are longer. Sleeping animals wake up and come out of their dens. They are hungry and start looking for food. Birds and animals that went away for the winter come back. Plants start to grow again.

Summer, along the banks of a river can sometimes be hot. The days are long. The young animals and birds are growing. They are learning how to find food and stay safe from danger. Plants are growing and spreading out their leaves and branches. Wild berries start to ripen and provide food for many of us.

Fall, around a river estuary can be cool and windy. The days are shorter. Animals and birds start getting ready for the long winter ahead. Some fatten themselves up so that they can sleep through the winter. Others gather with their families to begin their long journey to warmer places. The salmon return from the sea and swim up their home streams to lay their eggs in the gravel. Trees, shrubs, and bushes begin to turn colour and then drop their leaves. Plants start to move into a time of rest.

Which of the four seasons is your favourite? Why do you like it the best?

This book is also part of a bundled package that includes:

• a set of moon posters
• a set of sort and categorize cards
• bulletin board trimmers

Click here to view the bundle: From the Mountains to the Sea: We Share the Seasons Bundle

This resource is available in French: Collection Des montagnes à la mer: Nous partageons les saisons

Additional Information
Book dimensions: 10" x 14" | Pages: 16 | ISBN: 9781771741026

Born of Mohawk and Cayuga descent, musical icon Robbie Robertson learned the story of Hiawatha and his spiritual guide, the Peacemaker, as part of the Iroquois oral tradition. Now he shares the same gift of storytelling with a new generation.

Hiawatha was a strong and articulate Mohawk who was chosen to translate the Peacemaker’s message of unity for the five warring Iroquois nations during the 14th century. This message not only succeeded in uniting the tribes but also forever changed how the Iroquois governed themselves—a blueprint for democracy that would later inspire the authors of the U.S. Constitution.

Caldecott Honor–winning illustrator David Shannon brings the journey of Hiawatha and the Peacemaker to life with arresting oil paintings. Together, Robertson and Shannon have crafted a new children’s classic that will both educate and inspire readers of all ages.

Includes a CD featuring a new, original song written and performed by Robbie Robertson.

Additional Information
48 pages | 9.50" x 11.25"

À travers le Créateur, le bison s’est offert en cadeau au peuple cri des Plaines pour lui procurer nourriture et assurer sa survie. Autrefois, le plus imposant mammifère terrestre d’Amérique du Nord parcourait les vastes plaines au nombre de 30 à 50 millions. Il a fourni abri, nourriture, vêtements, outils, équipement de chasse, objets cérémoniels et plusieurs autres nécessités aux habitants des Plaines.

Mais vers 1889, il ne restait plus qu’un millier de bisons et la vie des Cris des Plaines a changé. Encore de nos jours, on voue un grand respect au bison en souvenir de la vie harmonieuse qui a déjà existé.

Cette histoire relate la façon dont le bison s’est donné sans compter.

Educator Information
This resource is also available in English and Plains Cree y-dialect: Honouring the Buffalo: A Plains Cree Legend

Additional Information
50 pages | 11.00" x 8.50"

"A long time ago, Our People came from the Northern Woodlands to the Great Plains looking for food," Grandfather said. "They saw that the Buffalo lived in harmony with Mother Earth the same as Our People did."

Through the Creator, the buffalo gave themselves as a gift for the sustenance and survival of the Plains Cree people. The largest land animal in North America once thundered across the Great Plains in numbers of 30 to 50 million. They provided shelter, food, clothing, tools, hunting gear, ceremonial objects and many other necessities for those who lived on the Plains.

But by 1889, just over a thousand buffalo remained, and the lives of the Plains Cree people changed. The buffalo is honoured to this day, a reminder of life in harmony with nature as it was once lived. This is the story of how the buffalo came to share themselves so freely.

Educator Information
The text is in English and y-dialect Plains Cree.  Y-dialect Plains Cree translation by Randy Morin, Jean Okimasis, and Arok Wolvengrey.

This resource is also available in French: Hommage au bison.

Additional Information
48 pages | 11.00" x 8.50"

A Choctaw boy tells the story of his tribe’s removal from its Mississippi homeland, and how its exodus to the American West led him to become a ghost — one able to help those left behind.

Educator & Series Information
This is the first book in the How I Became a Ghost Series by Tim Tingle.

Recommended for ages 9 to 12.

Additional Information
148 pages | 5.50" x 8.50"

Step One: Find a story. (A good one.)

Step Two: Find a reading buddy. (Someone nice.)

Step Three: Find a reading spot. (Couches are cozy.)

Now: Begin.

Accomplished storytellers Kate Messner and Mark Siegel chronicle the process of becoming a reader: from pulling a book off the shelf and finding someone with whom to share a story, to reading aloud, predicting what will happen, and—finally—coming to The End. This picture book playfully and movingly illustrates the idea that the reader who discovers the love of reading finds, at the end, the beginning.

Reviews
"An entertaining and educational introduction and overview to the experience of tackling a new book."-- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 5 to 8.

Additional Information
32 pages | 10.00" x 10.40"

Through stories of Lakota leader Crazy Horse, a boy learns about his heritage and himself in this American Indian Youth Literature Award-winning novel from acclaimed author Joseph Marshall III.

Jimmy McClean is a Lakota boy, though you wouldn’t guess it by his name. His mother is Lakota, and his father is half white and half Lakota. Over summer break, Jimmy embarks on a journey with his grandfather, Nyles High Eagle. While on the road, his grandfather tells him the story of Crazy Horse, one of the most important figures in Lakota, and American, history.

Expertly intertwining fiction and nonfiction, celebrated Brulé Lakota author Joseph Marshall III chronicles the many heroic deeds of Crazy Horse, especially his taking up arms against the U.S. government. He fiercely fought against encroachments on the territories and way of life of the Lakota people, including leading a war party to victory at the Battle of the Greasy Grass (the Battle of the Little Bighorn) and playing a major and dangerous role as decoy at the Battle of the Hundred in the Hands (the Fetterman Battle). With Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse was the last of the Lakota to surrender his people to the U.S. Army. Through his grandfather’s tales about the famous warrior, Jimmy learns about his Lakota heritage and, ultimately, himself.

Drawing references and inspiration from the oral stories of the Lakota tradition, Marshall gives readers an insider’s perspective on the life of Tasunke Witko, better known as Crazy Horse.

Reviews

Additional Information
176 pages | 6.20" x 8.25" | Black and White Illustrations | Hardcover

Jake's puppy Kamik is growing quickly, but the dog isn't becoming any easier to handle. All Jake wants is to raise his puppy into a strong, fast sled dog, but Kamik is far from ready to pull a sled with a dog team. With some advice and a little help from his grandmother, Jake learns basic principles of how to begin training a dog to pull. Kamik finally has his first sled, and he and Jake can finally begin exploring the tundra together. But Jake and Kamik are still inexperienced, and when a blizzard starts blowing in across the tundra, Jake has to rely on his knowledge to get home.

Inspired by the life memories of the author, an Inuit elder, this book lovingly presents basic dog—rearing practices that even the youngest dog lover can try.

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of the Kamik series. 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.

This resource is also available in French: Kamik et son premier traineau.

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.50" x 8.50"