Primary Picture Books

Not My Girl - Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton (2014)

Description: This is a sequel to the book, When I Was Eight. Moreover. Moreover, this fast paced story captures the experience of a 10 year old girl where after two years of attending an outsider’s school, upon returning back home, her mother is shocked to realize that her daughter’s hair was cut, she lost her language, unable to hunt and essentially lost her culture. While being at home, she felt excluded from her other family members and eventually regained her self-identity. As the story progresses, she eventually develops a closer connection to her father and eventually, her mother.

Why use this book? This story provides students an opportunity to learn about the real lived experiences and the challenges children encountered while attending an outside school. Moreover, it shares the importance of Indigenous voices and brings the reader/audience through the lens of a 10 year old girl who is strong as she slowly becomes re-acquainted with her family.

Reading Level: Grades 2-3

Shin-Chi’s Canoe - Nicola Campbell (2008)

Description: This is a moving story that shares the true accounts of how children were forced into attending Residential school. This book follows the sequel to Shi-shi-etko, where her brother (Shin-Chi) at the age of six years, also attends Residential school. During this experience, their Indigenous heritage was taken away where they were focused to speak English and Shi-shi-etko had her long hair chopped off etc. Throughout the story, Shin-Chi carries a little canoe the father made as it is a sign of hope to return home.

Why use this book? This nonfiction story captures the hardships children encountered during their time in Residential schools and the details in the illustrations provides the reader with a perspective as to how the children felt as their culture was taken away. This story can be used to teach about the grade 3 social studies curriculum about Indigenous history. Despite the challenges that both Shi-shi-etko and Shin-Chi encountered, they were seen as strong and resilient throughout the story.

Themes: Residential schools, Indigenous history, trauma, overcoming challenges, hope

Reading Level: Grades 2-3

Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox - Danielle Daniel (2017)

Description: A book about how various animals are used to represent Indigenous Cultures. It provides children an opportunity to explore how they could associate with some of the animals based on how they feel.

Why use this book? This book contains wonderful illustrations for young readers while introducing them “...to the Anishinaabe tradition of totem animals” (House of Anansi Press, 2020, para. 1). The animals in this story share the importance of emotions; therefore, this story can be used to explore the topics of mindfulness and self-regulation in schools. The animals represented in this story are seen as strong, powerful and despite how they feel, they find ways to regulate their emotions.

Themes: Anishnaabe tradition, animals, emotions, self-regulation, identity

Reading Level: Grades 1-2

The Water Walker - Joanne Robertson (2017)

Description: A true story of how Nokomis (Ojibwe grandmother) who is passionate about caring for Nibi (water). She walks, while carrying the migizi (bald eagle) and a pail of water to highlight the importance of protecting, preserving and caring for the water. Others in the community join her and they walk around the Great Lakes as well as the St. Lawrence River while praying and singing to protect the water.

Why use this book? This book is suitable to teach children about how Indigenous Peoples, especially women who value the importance of protecting and preserving the water. This could be used to connect to concepts in the school curriculum about ways students can preserve water in their everyday lives. Throughout the story, it demonstrates how Nokomis is a strong woman who is responsible and dedicated as she does everything to protect the water.

Themes: water preservation, water protection, drinking clean water

Reading Level: Grades 1-3

What’s My Superpower - Aviaq Johnson (2017)

Description: A story about a girl named Nalvana who realizes that everyone around her has super powers, except herself. With the support of her mom, Nalvana eventually realizes her own superpower for always being supportive to her friends.

Why use this book? This story incorporates the use of some Inuktitut vocabulary and shares a bit of the Inuit culture. Moreover, it highlights how the main character (Nalvana) is a strong, selfless girl. Throughout this story, it emphasizes that a superhero is not only for those who are able to perform something better than others, but rather personal character traits are also considered a unique superpower. Such a story is excellent to introduce children in the primary grades about the importance of being supportive towards their peers as well as how everyone’s strengths are unique and special in their own way.

Themes: superpowers, self-identity, uniqueness, Inuit culture

Reading Level: Grades 1-3

When We Were Alone - David A. Robertson (2016)

Description: While helping her grandmother in the garden, the little girl notices interesting things where she inquires about the colour of her grandmother’s clothes, her long hair and the language she speaks. Her grandmother then shares her experience of Residential Schools where she was not allowed to speak her Cree language and needed to wear clothes to look like everything else.

Why use this book? This book shares the hardships children encountered while attending Residential Schools. It can be used to address themes regarding Indigenous histories and racism in Residential Schools within the grade 3 social studies curriculum. Moreover, it showcases how the characters persevere through difficult times and the importance of being strong when trying to overcome adversity.

Themes: Residential Schools, racism, trauma, assimilation, loss of culture

Reading Level: Grades 1-3