September 30th is the perfect opportunity to connect with your family about Indigenous history and culture. I find that the easiest way to connect and start discussions with my kids about important topics are with books.
Indigenous Canadian Children’s Books To Read With Your Kids
We Are Water Protectors
By Carole Lindstrom
Inspired by the many Indigenous-led movements across North America, We Are Water Protectors issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth’s water from harm and corruption―a bold and lyrical picture book written by Carole Lindstrom and vibrantly illustrated by Michaela Goade.
Water is the first medicine.
It affects and connects us all…
When I Was Eight
By Christy Jordan-Fenton & Margaret Pokiak-Fenton
Olemaun is eight and knows a lot of things. But she does not know how to read. She must travel to the outsiders’ school to learn, ignoring her father’s warning of what will happen there.
The nuns at the school take her Inuit name and call her Margaret. They cut off her long hair and force her to do chores. She has only one thing left — a book about a girl named Alice, who falls down a rabbit hole…
When We Are Kind
By Monique Gray Smith
“Notably centering Indigenous families and characters of color in personal and communal activities—and encouraging readers to evaluate their actions toward others.”—School Library Journal
When We Are Kind celebrates simple acts of everyday kindness and encourages children to explore how they feel when they initiate and receive acts of kindness in their lives…
My Heart Fills with Happiness
By Monique Gray Smith
Monique Gray Smith is of Cree, Lakota, and Scottish descent, and Julie Flett is Cree-Metis. In this collaboration, a little girl reflects on everything that makes her happy, from the sun on her cheeks to the smell of bannock baking in the oven. It’s a poetic and simple board book with gorgeous illustrations.
We All Play
By Julie Flett
Animals and kids love to play! This wonderful book celebrates playtime and the connection between children and the natural world.
Beautiful illustrations show:
birds who chase and chirp!
bears who wiggle and wobble!
whales who swim and squirt!
owls who peek and peep!
and a diverse group of kids who love to do the same, shouting: We play too! / kimêtawânaw mîna
I Lost My Talk
By Rita Joe
Rita Joe’s powerful poem is presented anew in this children’s picture book with illustrations from Pauline Young. A story of recovering what was lost in residential school, I Lost My Talk will raise conversation about language as a vehicle for truth and reconciliation. Published simultaneously with the companion book I’m Finding My Talk.
Phyllis’s Orange Shirt
By Phyllis Webstad
Phyllis’s Orange Shirt is an adaptation of The Orange Shirt Story which was the best selling children’s book in Canada for several weeks in September 2018 (Book manager). This true story also inspired the movement of Orange Shirt Day which could become a federal statutory holiday.
When Phyllis was a little girl she was excited to go to residential school for the first time. Her Granny bought her a bright orange shirt that she loved and she wore it to school for her first day. When she arrived at school her bright orange shirt was taken away…
Thank you to Iron Dog Books in Vancouver for helping curate this list! I recommend checking them out at 2671 East Hastings, Vancouver. They’re an indigenous-owned book store and they have a mobile book truck.
Amanda is a writer, photographer, videographer and a content creator with a passion for sharing stories. With her family of 5, they share experiences, tips and ideas that empower Moms to make memories with their families right here in British Columbia.
