When Maddie Harper was seven years old, she found herself in the Brantford School in Ontario with about 200 other little girls who called it “mush-hole” because mush was their daily fare. Here, Harper tells of her eight years at the school, the cultural degradation she was forced to endure, her escape at age 15, her alienation from her community, her descent into alcoholism and finally, her return to traditional ways and recovery.
Canada
Materials from Canada
James Houston’s Treasury Of Inuit Legends (Odyssey Classics (Odyssey Classics))
James Houston made his first journey to the Canadian Arctic in 1948 in search of a new land to paint. There he found a warm, friendly people living in a vast, cold, hauntingly beautiful world. He lived with the Inuit and Indian people in the Arctic and grew to understand them and their way of life. He also helped introduce Inuit culture to the world with his remarkable art and stories. Here are four of his exciting Inuit folktales–Akavak, Tiktaliktak, The White Archer, and Wolf Run–collected for the first time in one beautiful volume. Houston’s striking illustrations for each story bring the Arctic and its people to life. This inspired collection is sure to fascinate readers of all ages. Includes an introduction by Theodore Taylor.
Welcome Song For Baby
From renowned First Nations storyteller Richard Van Camp comes a lyrical lullaby for newborns. Complemented with stunning photographs, this evocative board book is perfectly suited as a first book for every baby.
No Time To Say Goodbye: Children’s Stories Of Kuper Island Residential School
For most North Americans, the practice of sending First Nations children to aboriginal boarding schools is a chapter in history that seems best forgotten. But the generations of children who were rounded up and sent to those faraway schools won’t ever forget the day-to-day reality of that “chapter.” Often taken without warning or time to say goodbye to their families, children as young as five had their hair cropped short and their clothes taken away. Then they were deloused, dressed in uniforms and forbidden to speak their native language or practise their traditional arts, religion or dances. No Time to Say Goodbye is a fictional account of five children sent to aboriginal boarding school, based on the recollections of a number of Tsartlip First Nations people. These unforgettable children are taken by government agents from Tsartlip Day School to live at Kuper Island Residential School. The five are isolated on the small island and life becomes regimented by the strict school routine. They experience the pain of homesickness and confusion while trying to adjust to a world completely different from their own. Their lives are no longer organized by fishing, hunting and family, but by bells, line-ups and chores. In spite of the harsh realities of the residential school, the children find adventure in escape, challenge in competition, and camaraderie with their fellow students. Sometimes sad, sometimes funny, always engrossing, No Time to Say Goodbye is a story that readers of all ages won’t soon forget.
Together
A child’s-eye view of keeping it all together.Acclaimed children’s writer Hazel Hutchins explores the concept of what-goes-with-what in her new picture book for preschoolers — whether it’s buttons that keep your shirt together, or shoelaces that keep your feet in your shoes. Playful text coupled with lively illustrations will keep children engaged and encourage them to build their vocabulary.As young children struggle, literally, with keeping it all together, here’s the book to keep them from coming undone, blowing away or falling apart. From getting dressed at the start of the day to leaving school at the end, there is plenty of opportunity throughout the story to make connections.With Together, Hazel Hutchins has created another rhythmic and imaginative tale, richly realized by Alice Priestley’s vibrant illustrations.
C’mere, Boy!
In a charming twist on the “boy wants dog” story, this time it’s a dog who begs his mama for a boy, promising to feed it, play with it and walk it; Mama points out that boys are very difficult to train, but Dog knows what he wants and in the end, the determined little canine’s perseverance pays off.
Frozen Land
“Describes the traditional ways of life of an Inuit family living in the Canadian Northwest Territories and some of the changes they have had to face”–Provided by publisher.
Nana’s Getting Married
A young boy disapproves of his grandmother dating her boyfriend, Bob, because she spends more time with Bob than with him, and he tries to find ways to separate them before their wedding.
The Weber Street Wonder Work Crew
For some families, part-time jobs for children are a way to impart all kinds of skills and experience. For others, it’s a matter of necessity if kids want spending money. Maxwell Newhouse, who is a plumber as well as an author and artist, understands this. The Weber Street Wonder Work Crew is a group of kids who have lots to offer their neighbors: from babysitting cranky toddlers to lending a hand in a garden, washing windows, and even helping an elderly lady who needs support to keep up with her friends online. Lively folk-style paintings work with a simple text to inspire kids to take part in their own communities.
The West Is Calling
Haiku and illustrations evoke 150 years of British Columbia history, from pre-contact to the present day.