Indigenous

Nutik, The Wolf Pup

In an Eskimo village at the top of the world lived a little boy whose name was Amaroq. Named for the great wolf leader who saved the life of his big sister, Julie, Amaroq loved wolves as much as his big sister did.

One day Julie brings home a sickly wolf pup named Nutik for Amaroq to feed and tend. “Don’t fall in love with Nutik,” Julie warns, “or your heart will break when the wolves come to take their pup home.” Amaroq feeds and cares for Nutik, and soon the fuzzy little pup is romping and playing and following Amaroq everywhere. Amaroq and Nutik become best friends, but soon it’s time for Nutik to rejoin his wolf family. Will Amaroq be strong like the great wolf leader he was named after and be able to let Nutik go?

In this adventure-first told in Julie’s Wolf Pack, sequel to the Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves Jean Craighead George brings the Arctic world of Julie and her family to a picturebook audience.

The Eagle’s Shadow

In 1946, while her emotionally distant father is in occupied Japan, a twelve-year-old girl spends a year with her mother’s relatives in a Tlingit Indian village in Alaska and begins to love and respect her heritage as she confronts the secret of her mother’s disappearance.

The Shaman’s Nephew: A Life In The Far North

When Jewish author/storyteller Sheldon Oberman met Inuit artist/hunter Simon Tookoome, he knew the encounter was special. Still, he had no idea their meeting would result in an amazing collaboration that would span a decade. Through the use of many tape recordings and translations, Sheldon has painstakingly woven the threads of a remarkable man’s life into a book for all to treasure. With Tookoome’s drawings to enhance the text, Oberman has managed to express the cadence and voice of one of the last of the Inuit to live the traditional nomadic life in the Arctic. The Shaman’s Nephew magically transports readers to a cold climate that warms and grows more familiar with every turn of the page.

As Long As The Rivers Flow

Starting in the 1800s and continuing into the 20th century, First Nations children were forcibly taken to government-sponsored residential schools to erase their traditional languages and cultures. This moving book tells of one such child, author Larry Loyie, and his last summer with his Cree tribe. It is a time of learning and adventure. He cares for an abandoned baby owl, watches his grandmother make winter moccasins, and sees her kill a huge grizzly with one shot. The sensitive text and Heather Holmlund’s expressive illustrations beautifully capture the joy and drama of a First Nations family’s last summer together.

Shi-Shi-Etko

Shi-shi-etko, a Native American girl, spends the last four days before she goes to residential school learning valuable lessons from her mother, father, and grandmother, and creating precious memories of home.

The Little Duck -Sikihpsis

Little Duck wants to be a Plains Cree dancer, and decides to dress up like one and walks into the Cree camp. When he sees he does not fit in, the lonely duck returns to his pond and finds acceptance from the other ducks. He becomes content with who he is and his life as a duck.

The Little Duck is a universal story that transcends cultural boundaries and leaves one with a lesson about the importance of self-worth.

The Enchanted Caribou

Three brave young hunters befriend a maiden who is then changed into a white caribou. Includes instructions for performing the story as a shadow play.

The Micmacs

The Micmacs are original natives of the Nova Scotia/New Brunswick region. They also settled in locations in Quebec, Newfoundland, and Maine.

Berry Woman’s Children

berryAccording to Eskimo myth, Berry Woman was asked by Raven to look after the animals and birds. Superb woodcuts illustrate the Eskimo legends that Grandmother tells to her rapt audience, four children clinging to her “on the bedplace.”