Browse Books for Kids

Explore the past, present and future of voting around the world, and why it's one of the most important things we can do as citizens.

In Get Out and Vote!, discover how voting affects everyone's life, what election day looks like, why some people don’t cast a ballot and more. Did you know a ping-pong ball once decided an election or that the government in Ancient Greece voted by shouting? From elections and politics to voter suppression and accessible ballots, there is so much to explore when it comes to voting. With profiles of young people who are making the vote count, this book will empower young people of all backgrounds to make their voices heard.

Reviews
“Informative and interesting…For readers between ages 9-12, but the information could easily be useful for older readers as well—including adults pursuing ESL who want to learn about the voting process or teachers of civics and citizenship classes. Highly Recommended.”— School Library Connection

“A novel approach to the subject…An excellent primer on the importance of elections. Highly Recommended.”— CM: Canadian Review of Materials

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 9 to 12.

This book is part of the Orca Think series.

Additional Information
96 pages | 7.00" x 9.00" | Hardcover

A deep dive into why humans waste so much food and the consequences for people and the planet

Around the world, a billion tons of food gets thrown away every year, even when hundreds of millions of people suffer from hunger. A lot of what we don't eat ends up rotting in landfills which contributes to global warming. The good news is that many governments, communities and individuals are working hard to tackle this giant problem. You can be part of the solution, starting in your own home—and working together, we can decrease our overall waste and make sure all people have food security. Plus, by reducing food waste, we can also fight climate change!

With inspiring profiles of food-waste activists and tasty tidbits on things like best-before dates, Good Food, Bad Waste offers much food for thought.

Reviews
“A thorough, upbeat look at the problem of food waste proposing some individual responses.”— Kirkus Reviews

“Ideas presented offer an exciting potential source for research and personal activism…A highly readable book with a topic that hits close to many homes. Highly Recommended.”— School Library Connection

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 9 to 12.

This book is part of the Orca Thinks series.

Various resources for this title are available to download

• Discussion Guide - Good Food, Bad Waste: Lets Eat for the Planet
• Poster: Good Food, Bad Waste: Lets Eat for the Planet
• Activity - Good Food, Bad Waste: Lets Eat for the Planet

Additional Information
96 pages | 7.00" x 9.00" | Hardcover

Once upon a magical time, a young rabbit named Weeskits hurried home to Kisoos—a town known as the Earth’s belly button—to deliver some thrilling news. Salamoo Cook, the Grand Chief of all rabbits in the world, was on his way to announce a mysterious contest. The prize? A year’s supply of all-healing waaskeechoos juice, fresh from spruce cones that have just fallen. Would Weeskits be able to help his brother Keegach win the juice to rid his wife of the dreadful manchoos?

Grand Chief Salamoo Cook is Coming to Town! is a laugh-out-loud riot of a tale in English, interspersed with nine jazzy songs performed in Cree.

This musical picture book includes a QR code to access the narrated story and songs online and a glossary of Cree words used throughout the tale.

Educator Information
Recommended for grades 2 and 3.

This musical picture book includes a QR code to access the narrated story and songs online and a glossary of Cree words used throughout the tale.

Themes / Subjects: Music, Friendship, Nature, Cree.

This book is available in French: Le grand chef Salamoo Cook arrive en ville !

Additional Information
48 pages | 8.10" x 10.70" | Hardcover

A young girl spends the summer at her grandmother’s home on the Standing Rock Reservation in this heartwarming family story from acclaimed author-artist S. D. Nelson

Now that Clara is almost in third grade, she’s finally old enough to spend her first summer away from home visiting her grandma, Unci, and her cousin at their home in Standing Rock Reservation. To welcome her visit, Uncle Louie brings an extra-special surprise in his pickup truck: the tipi that’s been passed down through their family for generations. The girls learn how to stack the poles and wrap the canvas covering around them, how to paint spirit pictures on its walls, and how the circle of the tipi tells its own story, reminding us to how to live in the great Circle of Life. Over long days spent playing outside, doing beadwork together, telling stories, singing songs, and sleeping under the stars, the tipi brings the family closer together. As summer draws to an end, goodbye comes all too soon, but Clara will always cling to the memories of summer days and starry nights . . . and Grandma’s tipi.

Reviews
"Nelson (Standing Rock Sioux) depicts his people’s customs with reverence…When Clara’s time on the Standing Rock Reservation comes to an end, the rich lessons of her heritage stay with her—just as they will with young readers, who will be drawn in by both Nelson’s moving narration and glowing images."— Kirkus

“Nelson’s vibrant illustrations are stylized to reflect Lakota ledger drawings. He effortlessly blends this art style into his realistic, authentic depictions of modern Lakota life."— The Horn Book Magazine

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Additional Information
40 pages | 9.00" x 10.00" | Hardcover

A grandmother’s sudden departure leaves her family with an even more puzzling, and wondrous, surprise in this enchanting story from the National Book Award–winning author—at last back in print!

Grandmother was a mysterious woman. She could heal with a touch (or with a cup of very bitter tea) or scare off a vicious dog with a look. But when she hitches a ride to Greenland on a passing porpoise, her family is still surprised—and then concerned. The mystery deepens when, among Grandmother’s collection of birds’ nests, the family discovers a clutch of eggs hatching. Out pop three passenger pigeons—birds of a species long extinct, supposedly.

Through the words of a curious grandchild, and Jim LaMarche’s evocative artwork, Grandmother’s legacy unfolds in these pages in all its peculiarity and charm. Mixing whimsy and gravity with a little science and history, the tale of the family’s loss, and marvelous find, summons a world as intriguing as it is perfectly clear—a world animated by Louise Erdrich’s storytelling magic, inviting readers young and old to follow Grandmother, and to wonder.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 5 to 9.

Additional Information
32 pages | 11.00" x 8.50" | Hardcover 

Follow along as Dancing Butterfly Girl, a young Indigenous girl, reflects on all the amazing things in her life that she is grateful for.

Educator Information
Recommended for grades 4 to 6.

Additional Information
14 Pages | Hardcover

Grizzlies are one of North America’s most iconic wildlife species.

They once roamed across half the continent, but today the grizzly population has declined at an alarming rate and it is incredibly difficult to rebuild those numbers, especially in places with a lot of people. Yet grizzlies are key members of their ecological communities and a powerful symbol of wilderness. Filled with facts and richly illustrated with photos, Grizzly Bears: Guardians of the Wilderness explores the biology of grizzlies and the vital ecological role these bears play, and it asks readers to consider what it takes to share the land with them. Learn from conservationists, scientists, Indigenous Peoples and young people who are working to ensure that grizzlies will be with us forever.

Reviews
Offers kid-friendly explanations...An important book for helping kids see past the stereotypes of terrifying grizzly bears and join the call for conservation.” — School Library Journal, starred review

“A high level of expertise, up-to-date research, thorough topic treatment and appealing presentation…Readers will come to appreciate a magnificent creature's struggles to maintain its place on this planet that we share. Highly Recommended.” — CM: Canadian Review of Materials

“This phenomenal book is a must for anyone with even the slightest interest in bears. Even someone who isn't particularly interested in learning more about grizzlies likely won’t be able to resist being drawn in. Highly Recommended.” — School Library Connection

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 9 to 12.

This book is part of the Orca Wild series that examines the intricacies of animals, ecosystems, humans and our relationships to each other.

Includes some Indigenous content.

A free, downloadable poster is available: Poster - Grizzly Bears: Guardians of the Wilderness

Additional Information
96 pages | 7.50" x 9.00" | Hardcover

“As we anchored in the cove where the glacier touched the sea, I had this funny feeling that I had to have a pee!”

Gunner the dog can’t wait to go fishing with his family. But on their way, he starts to feel a familiar urge. He has to go pee! Gunner’s mom rushes him to shore, but as they get closer, they encounter a scary surprise. Can Gunner make it to land before it’s too late?

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 8.

Bilingual: Inuktitut and English

F&P Level: L

Additional Information
36 pages | 10.00" x 9.00" | Hardcover 

NSK Neustadt Laureate and New York Times best-selling author Cynthia Leitich Smith delivers a thrilling cross-genre follow-up to the acclaimed Hearts Unbroken.

Deftly leading readers to the literary crossroads of contemporary realism and haunting mystery, Cynthia Leitich Smith revisits the world of her American Indian Youth Literature Award winner Hearts Unbroken. Halloween is near, and Hughie Wolfe is volunteering at a new rural attraction: Harvest House. He’s excited to take part in the fun, spooky show—until he learns that an actor playing the vengeful spirit of an “Indian maiden,” a ghost inspired by local legend, will headline. Folklore aside, unusual things have been happening at night at the crossroads near Harvest House. A creepy man is stalking teenage girls and young women, particularly Indigenous women; dogs are fretful and on edge; and wild animals are behaving strangely. While Hughie weighs how and when to speak up about the bigoted legend, he and his friends begin to investigate the crossroads and whether it might be haunted after all. As Moon rises on All Hallow’s Eve, will they be able to protect themselves and their community? Gripping and evocative, Harvest House showcases a versatile storyteller at her spooky, unsettling best.

Reviews
"Using short, propulsive chapters, Smith (Hearts Unbroken), a member of the Muscogee Nation, intertwines thoughtful conversation surrounding the racism faced by Indigenous teenagers with a convincing ghost story to craft a spine-tingling, edge-of-the-seat chiller." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Part coming-of-age tale, part social justice story, and part paranormal thriller. . . . Smith knows what appeals to teens and what makes them tick, and so includes plenty of current teen slang and occasional curse words to keep this story relevant and engaging for them. This is one heckuva roller coaster ride that ratchets up the tension the closer the story comes to Halloween."—School Library Connection (starred review)

"Smith’s companion novel to Hearts Unbroken (2018) is well-paced and suspenseful, raising thoughtful questions about the intersections of urban legend, cultural trauma, and genre tropes."—Booklist

"Superbly highlights and discusses key topics facing contemporary Indigenous youths, including redface and the plights of missing and murdered Indigenous women and two-spirit people. Hughie’s encounters with different types of racism are recognizably authentic, handled with delicacy and distinct realism. . . . An atmospheric novel compellingly interweaving chills and contemporary themes."—Kirkus Reviews

Additional Information
320 pages | 5.81" x 8.56" | Hardcover 

After Haywaas sees his parents get frustrated while watching the news, this precocious 12-year-old begins a months-long journey navigating many different answers to what he thought was a simple question.

Expertly crafted by a teacher-parent-author duo, Haywaas’ Question is relatable, understandable, and aptly builds up to an answer we’re all a part of.

Educator Information
The publisher recommends this picture book for Grades 4 - 10. 

This book is available in French: La Question de Haywaas: Qu'est-ce que la réconciliation? 

Additional Information
36 pages | 7.00" x 9.00" | Paperback

On a visit to her granny, Maggie is excited to begin her first-ever beading project: a pair of strawberry earrings. However, beading is much harder than she expected! As they work side by side, Granny shares how beading helped her persevere and stay connected to her Anishinaabe culture when she lost her Indian status, forcing her out of her home community—all because she married someone without status, something the men of her community could do freely.

As she learns about patience and perseverance from her granny’s teachings, Maggie discovers that beading is a journey, and like every journey, it’s easier with a loved one at her side.

In this beautifully illustrated book, children learn about the tradition of Anishinaabe beadwork, strawberry teachings, and gender discrimination in the Indian Act.

Reviews
"Social justice messages lie at the heart of many children’s and YA books with Indigenous authorship. The picture book Heart Berry Bling, written by Jenny Kay Dupuis, a member of the Nipissing First Nation, and illustrated by Ghana-born artist Eva Campbell, shares the tradition of Anishinaabe beadwork and highlights the experiences of women, including the author’s grandmother, who lost their First Nations status due to Canada’s Indian Act."— Publishers Weekly

"A delightful story."— Anishnabek News

"Heart Berry Bling is a soulful children’s story that reminds readers of not only the importance of family and culture, but also the generational harm caused by laws against Indigenous Peoples. In this tale of a young Anishinaabe girl who finds out how her own family was negatively impacted by the Indian Act, Jenny Kay Dupuis has created an important text for anyone learning of the erased ancestral stories from and about Indigenous Peoples." — John P. Broome, Purdue University

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 6 to 8.

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

Souhaitant faire connaitre aux jeunes de tous les horizons ses héros autochtones, Wab Kinew a composé des textes inspirants mettant en vedette des héros autochtones du Canada et des États-Unis. Malgré leur expérience unique, tous ont ceci en commun : la confiance en soi et un lien avec le territoire. Les superbes illustrations du célèbre artiste Joe Morse donnent vie à ces héros d’autrefois et d’aujourd’hui qui ont montré au monde qu’ils ont su et savent aller de l’avant et qu’ils comptent.?En 2018, la version originale d’Héros autochtones • Anishinaabewi-ogichidaag, intitulée Go Show the World: A Celebration of Indigenous Heroes, a figuré parmi les finalistes du Prix littéraire du Gouverneur général, dans la catégorie de la littérature jeunesse, livre illustré.

Educator Information
French/Anishinaabemowin. Traduction en Anishinaabemowin par Roger Roulette.

This book is available in English: Go Show the World: A Celebration of Indigenous Heroes

Join the monarchs as they embark on a transcontinental journey home in this moving story about migration.

As the sun dawns in Canada, a flutter of monarch butterflies take flight, ready to begin their months-long journey to their ancestral home in Mexico. The migration will not be easy, but it is necessary for the next generation of monarchs to be born. Brought to life with illustrations as vivid as the monarch’s iconic orange and black hues, this story invites young readers to experience the monarch’s migration from the butterflies’ point of view as they search for food, huddle together through storms, and tirelessly fly south.

Parents and educators alike will find much to love about this poetically written book. The story touches on how climate change and deforestation are impacting monarchs, and kid-friendly back matter provides additional information about the butterflies, including their life cycle, anatomy, and migratory patterns, as well as several simple ways children can help monarch butterflies themselves.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 7.

Additional information
40 pages | 9.50" x 10.00" | Hardcover 

A Little Golden Book based on the exciting new Netflix preschool animated series Spirit Rangers!

Kodi, Summer, and Eddy are putting on a Hoop Dancing Show at Xus Park! But first, the kids head to the Spirit Park to learn how to hoop dance from the spirits and discover that you can never skip the basics and that practice makes perfect!

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 2 to 5.

Kids ages 2 to 5 will love this Little Golden Book about patience and practice based on the Netflix show Spirit Rangers, complete with beautiful full-color illustrations!

Created by Samala Chumash descendent, Karissa Valencia, Spirit Rangers is a fantasy-adventure preschool series following Native American sibling trio Kodiak, Summer and Eddy Skycedar, who have a shared secret—they’re Spirit Rangers! Spirit Rangers protect every crook, cranny and critter of Spirit Park. With the blessing of the Chumash and Cowlitz tribes, we’ll join the Skycedar kids on their amazing adventures with spirits inspired by Indigenous stories.

Additional Information
24 pages | 6.63" x 8.00" | Hardcover

We live in a hopeless old house on an almost-deserted dead-end street in a middle-of-nowhere town named Hope. This is the oldest part of Hope; eventually it will all be torn down and rebuilt into perfect homes for perfect people. Until then, we live here: imperfect people on an imperfect street that everyone forgets about.

For Eva Brown, life feels lonely and small. Her mother, Shirley, drinks and yells all the time. She’s the target of the popular mean girl, and her only friend doesn’t want to talk to her anymore. All of it would be unbearable if it weren’t for her cat, Toofie, her beloved nohkum, and her writing, which no one will ever see.

When Nohkum is hospitalized, Shirley struggles to keep things together for Eva and her younger brother, Marcus. After Marcus is found wandering the neighbourhood alone, he is sent to live with a foster family, and Eva finds herself in a group home.

Furious at her mother, Eva struggles to adjust—and being reunited with her family seems less and less likely. During a visit to the hospital, Nohkum gives Eva Shirley’s diary. Will the truths it holds help Eva understand her mother?

Heartbreaking and humorous, Hopeless in Hope is a compelling story of family and forgiveness.

Reviews

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 12+

Additional Information
216 pages | 5.50" x 8.25" | Paperback