Materials from Canada
Behind Closed Doors features written testimonials from thirty-two individuals who attended the Kamloops Indian Residential School. The school was one of many infamous residential schools that operated from 1893 to 1979. The storytellers remember and share with us their stolen time at the school; many stories are told through courageous tears.
James and his daughter, Rebecca, go on a trip to harvest beluga whale. Harvesting and preparing beluga meat together as a family is an integral part of what it means to be Inuvialuit. Join James and Rebecca and learn about how the beluga whale is interlinked with Inuvialuit culture and history.
Many years ago, by a lake in Northern Canada, a young girl named Marie found a wordless understanding with a special goose that would change her life.
When Akilak must travel a great distance to another camp to gather food, she thinks she will never be able to make it. With a little help from her grandmother’s spirit, and her own imagination to keep her entertained, Akilak manages to turn a long journey into an adventure. Even though she at first feels that she will never be able to reach her destination, she keeps her grandmother’s assurance that her “destination is not running away; it will be reached eventually” in mind and ends up enjoying the journey that at first seemed so daunting.
When young Donald and his friends head down to the water to play, they have no idea that they are soon to encounter a mermaid, one of the creatures that his elders have told him about. Terrified, the boys run back to their camp, ready to tell everyone what they have just seen. They can’t seem to remember it clearly. It is up to Donald’s grandmother to explain to them the magical creature they just encountered
Ukaliq and Kalla are two friends who could not be more different. Ukaliq is loud, excited and always looking for adventure. Kalla on the other hand, is calm, quiet and knows it’s best to be well prepared before travelling out on the land or sea ice. When the two friends head out for a day of fishing, Ukaliq can barely wait to get his line in the water—but his eagerness to catch a fish may just leave him empty handed in the end. There is a lot Kalla could teach Ukaliq about a successful fishing trip, if only Ukaliq would sit still long enough to listen!
Nivi has always known that her names were special, but she does not know where they came from. One sunny afternoon, Nivi decides to ask her mom. The stories of the people Nivi is named after lead her to an understanding of traditional Inuit naming practices and knowledge of what those practices mean to Inuit people. How Nivi Got Her Names is an easy-to-understand introduction to traditional Inuit naming, with a story that touches on Inuit custom adoption
In this traditional Inuit story, a simple walk on the tundra becomes a life or death journey for a young man. When he comes across a giant who wants to take him home and cook him for dinner, the young man’s quick thinking saves him from being devoured, and in the process releases the first fog into the world. This action-packed picture book brings a centuries-old traditional tale to life for modern readers.
Malaika is happy to be reunited with Mummy, but it means moving to a different country, where everything is different. It’s cold in her new city, no one understands when she talks and Carnival is nothing like the celebration Malaika knows from home! Hohn’s prose, written in a blend of standard English and Caribbean patois, tells a warm story about the importance of family, especially when adjusting to a new home
Ian Wallace, one of Canada’s best-known children’s book creators, invites us to look inside his cabinet of curiosities, which contains treasures from his decades of traveling the country from sea to sea to sea, sharing stories with young readers.