Indigenous

Books that include Indigenous characters or perspectives.

Canadian

The Witness Blanket: Truth, Art and Reconciliation

To prepare for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, this year I chose to explore The Witness Blanket: Truth, Art and Reconciliation [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61070507-the-witness-blanket?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=36eGyJDCp5&rank=2] , by Carey Newman and Kirstie Hudson. This

Indigenous

Indigenous Storytelling Literature Circle

In the past, when teaching my students about Indigenous perspectives, I have often taken an approach that focuses on human rights. We spend time learning about colonialism in Canada and focus on texts [https://teacherbees.ca/indigenous-stories-in-graphic-novels/] that support that understanding. While I still think it is important to do

Canadian

Black Water, On the Trapline, and Kīwew

One amazing thing about the writer David A. Robertson is his ability to write compelling literature for any age group. Some of his most recent work demonstrates his versatility as he focuses on his relationship with his father and connecting with his Cree identity in Black Water [https://www.goodreads.

Graphic Novel

A Girl Called Echo: Road Allowance Era

A Girl Called Echo: Road Allowance Era [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57907128-road-allowance-era?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=4sXAsT0TQd&rank=4] , written by Katherena Vermette and illustrated by Scott B. Henderson, is the fourth and final volume in the Girl Called Echo series [https:

Indigenous

Graphic Novels and Indigenous Rights

Every year I try to improve how I include Indigenous voices and perspectives in my classroom. A unit I developed this year was a mini-literature circle that focused on graphic novels by Indigenous authors and artists. I am grateful for the many powerful works by these storytellers, which explore both

Environment

Protecting Water in Picture Books

It is a mark of shame for Canada that Shoal Lake #40 reserve has had a boil water advisory since 1997, even though Shoal Lake provides drinking water for thousands of Canadians. Other First Nations communities are in similar situations, with Canada currently having 52 long term drinking water advisories

Education

Braiding Sweetgrass

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17465709-braiding-sweetgrass?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=lMNGySsZw9&rank=1] is a book that weaves together Indigenous teachings and worldviews with scientific knowledge about plants and our natural world. The

Canadian

Surviving the City: From the Roots Up

Surviving the City Vol. 2: From the Roots Up, written by Tasha Spillett and illustrated by Natasha Donovan, is a graphic novel that explores the intersections of Indigenous culture and gender identity. It builds on the previous volume [https://teacherbees.ca/surviving-the-city/] to show the struggles of an Indigenous teen

Education

A Mind Spread Out on the Ground

When I write about books under the Education [https://teacherbees.ca/tag/education/] tag on my blog, I aim to recommend books I think teachers should read. Often I think these books give useful insights when it comes to teaching for social justice or sustainability. Today's recommendation has

Indigenous

Indigenous Writes

Indigneous Writes [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30181589-indigenous-writes?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=fAdqK9QRDb&rank=1] by Chelsea Vowel is a guide to First Nations, Métis and Inuit issues in Canada. The book provides a dialogue about the relationship between Indigenous Peoples and settlers

Indigenous

A Girl Called Echo - Volume 3

For teachers looking to bring Canadian history to life, with particular emphasis on Métis history, be sure to check out volume three of A Girl Called Echo [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42667980-northwest-resistance], written by Katherena Vermette and illustrated by Scott B. Henderson. The series [https://teacherbees.ca/a-girl-called-echo/

Young Adult Books

The 7 Generations Series

The 7 Generations Series [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8070816-stone], a graphic novel series written by David Alexander Robertson and illustrated by Scott B. Henderson, recounts the life of seven generations of an Indigenous family, stories that span from the beginning of the 19th century to 2010. The series

Middle Grade Books

The Ghost Collector

The Ghost Collector [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43783388-the-ghost-collector?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=zP5rdzoFHI&rank=1] , by Allison Mills, is a middle grade book about loss, grief, and letting go. The main character Shelly and her grandmother have the power to collect ghosts

Environment

Picture Books that Teach us to Value Nature

I have been struggling lately with when to start teaching my young kids about the ecological crises facing our planet. My son is a curious four year old and is starting to ask questions about conversations he overhears. While we try to answer him in age appropriate ways, it can

Indigenous

Two Novellas on Reconciliation

A number of children's books [https://teacherbees.ca/residentialschoolpicturebooks/] examine what happened at residential schools and their immediate impact. Rarer are books that focus more specifically on the journey towards reconciliation. For this reason, I was pleased to come across two novellas that do just that: When We

Indigenous

This Place: 150 Years Retold

This Place: 150 Years Retold [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39351184-this-place?ac=1&from_search=true] is an ambitious project that aims to retell Canadian history by centering Indigenous perspectives and experiences. With over a dozen Indigenous authors and artists, the graphic novel anthology delves into stories from

Indigenous

Surviving the City

Surviving the City [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41215879-surviving-the-city?ac=1&from_search=true] , written by Tasha Spillett and illustrated by Natasha Donovan, tells the story of two girls dealing with the dangers of growing up Indigenous in Winnipeg. When main character Dez's grandmother becomes sick,

Education

White Fragility and the Canadian Classroom

Four months ago, I finished reading White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43708708-white-fragility], by Robin DiAngelo. Appreciating this excellent book, I opened a tab to create a blog post and immediately got stuck. The subtitle

Indigenous

Path to Reconciliation

A few weeks ago I attended the Manitoba Adolescent Literacy Summit and listened to author David Alexander Robertson's keynote entitled the Path to Reconciliation. It was a highlight of the conference, as his speech challenged me to look at reconciliation in my own classroom with a more critical

Indigenous

A Girl Called Echo

When I pick up a book set in my own province, it feels like I have found something special. Seeing my home in print on the page gives me a feeling of connection to a text that I don't often get with other books. Even rarer is finding

Indigenous

The Reckoner Series

I first started this blog to examine books that offer diverse voices to the world and allow students to see their own experiences, struggles, and successes reflected back at them. The diverse voices movement have highlighted a growing number of authors from a variety of different backgrounds, although I often

Indigenous

He Who Dreams - The Importance of High Interest Books

For years, when I taught whole class novels I often felt stuck when it came to supporting struggling readers. Asking them to independently read a text that was beyond their current abilities clearly didn't work. Reading chapters aloud was an option, but relying on this strategy robbed them

Indigenous

Seven Fallen Feathers and Systemic Racism in Schools

This week I finished reading Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City [https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1487002262/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=1487002262&linkCode=as2&tag=ebees-20&linkId=5ef4fb94a45083fe9d60b87bf8b111b0] , by Tanya

Indigenous

Residential School Picture Books

This month, my students are learning about residential schools in Canada and human rights. This is an essential topic as Canada moves down the path of reconciliation. The natural first step is to educate people about what happened. My aim is to make sure my students understand how Indigenous children