29 must-read books for children and teens by Indigenous writers, curated by Phyllis Webstad
Orange Shirt Day founder and ambassador curated this 'must-read' reading list
Sept. 30th is Orange Shirt Day. It's also known as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day in honour of the Indigenous children who were sent away to residential schools in Canada.
In 2024, CBC Books asked Phyllis Webstad, the creator of Orange Shirt Day, to curate a list of children's books to read in honour of National Indigenous History Month.
Phyllis Webstad is Northern Secwepemc from the Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation (Canoe Creek Indian Band). She comes from mixed Secwepemc and Irish/French heritage. She currently lives in Williams Lake, B.C.
In 2018, Webstad published her first children's book, The Orange Shirt Story, which tells the story of how Webstad's favourite orange shirt was taken from her on her first day at residential school when she was six years old.
Webstad created this list which features titles for newborns all the way to young adults.
"It was hard to choose a few books, when there are so many worthy of being on the list. I chose books that bring about conversation of what happened to us as Indigenous People and ones that bring hope for a better future," Webstad told CBC Books via email.
"Through my Orange Shirt Story, I have traveled and visited many places in Canada and I have realized that we are all affected by colonization. This collection of books speaks to the revitalization of language, the re-learning of our culture and traditions, as well as the need to have humour in our lives."
This collection of books speaks to the revitalization of language, the re-learning of our culture and traditions, as well as the need to have humour in our lives.- Phyllis Webstad
"My grandchildren are the first in five generations to be raised by their mother and father under the same roof. I, therefore, have a fondness for books about families — they warm my heart.
"As Indigenous People, storytelling is a part of who we are. It's my hope that these books can be brought into homes and schools to bring education and awareness of the experience and inter-generational impacts of colonization that Indigenous People have and are still faced with."
Check out Webstad's picks for books to read this month below.
Today is Orange Shirt Day by Phyllis Webstad, illustrated by Natassia Davies
Today is Orange Shirt Day is a board book for babies and toddlers that starts the conversation about the importance of Orange Shirt Day and The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This age-appropriate touch-and-feel board book helps children to understand what they can expect to see and do on Orange Shirt Day.
Today is Orange Shirt Day is for ages 0-3.
Phyllis Webstad was born on Dog Creek Reserve and is Northern Secwepemc from the Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation. Based in Williams Lake, B.C., she travels around the country to tell her own orange shirt story. She won the YA/adult category of the 2021/2022 First Nation Communities Read Awards for her book Beyond the Orange Shirt Story.
Natassia Davies is an artist, graphic designer and illustrator of Coast Salish ancestry. She has illustrated several books for children, including Little Wolf, written by Teoni Spathelfer, and White Raven, written by Teoni Spathelfer, which was shortlisted for the Indigenous Voices Awards.
Every Child Matters by Phyllis Webstad, illustrated by Karlene Harvey
Every Child Matters honours the history and resiliency of Indigenous Peoples on Turtle Island and moves everyone forward on a path toward Truth and Reconciliation. Readers will learn the meaning of the phrase "Every Child Matters" on the annual Orange Shirt Day on Sept. 30, which honours residential school survivors, their families and communities, and commemorates those who did not return home.
Every Child Matters is for ages 6 to 10.
Phyllis Webstad was born on Dog Creek Reserve and is Northern Secwepemc from the Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation. Based in Williams Lake, B.C., she travels around the country to tell her own orange shirt story. She won the YA/adult category of the 2021/2022 First Nation Communities Read Awards for her book Beyond the Orange Shirt Story.
Karlene Harvey is a Tsilhqot'in and Syilx illustrator and writer who grew up on territories of the Semiahmoo and Kwantlen Nations. Other children's books illustrated by Harvey include the novel Maggie Lou, Firefox, written by Arnolda Dufour Bowes.
My Little Ogichidaa by Willie Poll, illustrated by Hawlii Pichette
My Little Ogichidaa is a picture book inspired by Indigenous motherhood. It is written as a lullaby showing an Indigenous parent speaking to her unborn child, celebrating Indigenous love and legacy. Ogichidaa means Warrior in Anishinaabemowin.
My Little Ogichidaa is for ages 6 to 10.
Willie Poll is a Métis author from the Robinson Huron Treaty Territory (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) and a member of the Métis Nation of Ontario. Poll has a bachelor of arts in Indigenous studies and a master of arts in archaeology. She lives on Prince Edward Island.
Hawlii Pichette is a Mushkego Cree (Treaty 9) urban mixed-blood illustrator and artist. She was born in Cochrane, Ont., and now lives in London, Ont. Pichette previously illustrated the picture book Benjamin's Thunderstorm, written by Melanie Florence.
The Secret Pocket by Peggy Janicki, illustrated by Carrielynn Victor
The Secret Pocket is a picture book which tells the true story of how Indigenous girls at a residential school sewed pockets into their clothes to hide food and survive. In The Secret Pocket a young girl called Mary is taken away from her family at four years old and sent to the Lejac Indian Residential School where she is forbidden from speaking Dakelh. Mary and other girls come up with the idea of sewing hidden pockets into their dresses where they hide carrots, apples and pieces of bread to share with the younger children.
The Secret Pocket for ages 6 to 8.
Peggy Janicki is a Dakelh teacher from the Nak'azdli Whut'en First Nation. She holds a master of education in Indigenous knowledges/Indigenous pedagogies from the University of British Columbia. The Secret Pocket is based on Janicki's mother's experience at residential school. She lives in Chilliwack, B.C.
Carrielynn Victor is an artist and illustrator of Stó:lö, Coast Salish and settler heritage from the XwChí:yóm (Cheam) community in B.C. She previously illustrated the picture book, Stand Like a Cedar, written by Nicola I. Campbell.
I Am Not a Number by Jenny Kay Dupuis & Kathy Kacer, illustrated by Gillian Newland
I Am Not a Number follows the story of eight-year-old Irene as she gets removed from her First Nations family to live in a residential school. Irene is confused, frightened and homesick. When she goes home for summer holidays, Irene's parents decide never to send her and her brothers away again. Based on the life of co-author Jenny Kay Dupuis' grandmother, the book brings a terrible part of Canada's history to light in a way that educates children.
I Am Not a Number is for ages 7 to 11.
Jenny Kay Dupuis is of Anishinaabe Ojibway ancestry and a proud member of Nipissing First Nation. She is an educator, researcher, artist and speaker who works full-time supporting the advancement of Indigenous education. She lives in Toronto.
Kathy Kacer is well known for her children's books about the Holocaust. Her books have won awards including the Silver Birch, the Red Maple, the Hackmatack and the Jewish Book Award. Kacer is a former psychologist and lives in Toronto.
Gillian Newland is an artist who lives in Halifax. She has also illustrated the books The Magician of Auschwitz and A Boy Asked The Wind.
When We Were Alone by David A. Robertson, illustrated by Julie Flett
In When We Were Alone, a girl asks her grandmother about why she wears her hair in a long braid and why she speaks in another language. Her grandmother responds by describing her childhood, growing up in a residential school. When We Were Alone won the 2017 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — illustrated books.
When We Were Alone is for ages 6 to 8.
David A. Robertson is an author and graphic novelist based in Winnipeg. He has written several books in many genres, including the graphic novels Will I See? and Sugar Falls, the picture book When We Were Alone, the YA series The Reckoner and the memoir Black Water.
Julie Flett has illustrated several picture books including Little You, My Heart Fills with Happiness and We Sang You Home. Most recently she wrote and illustrated the picture book Let's Go. Her picture book Birdsong was a finalist for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award.
Muinji'j Asks Why by Shanika and Breighlynn MacEachern, illustrated by Zeta Paul
Muinji'j Asks Why tells the story of the Mi'kmaq people and the generational traumas of the residential school system. In Muinji'j Asks Why, seven-year-old Muinji'j is learning about residential schools and asks her Nana and Papa to explain to her why the schools existed and why children died there. Her Nana and Papa take Muinji'j through the history of what happened in this honest and poignant picture book.
Muinji'j Asks Why is for ages 4 to 7.
Shanika MacEachern is a Mi'kmaw woman and a Native student advisor with Annapolis Valley Centre for Education.
Breighlynn MacEachern is a Mi'kmaq elementary school student whose dream is to be a ballet teacher and an RCMP officer.
Zeta Paul is a Mi'kmaw interdisciplinary artist who attended The Nova Scotia University of Art and Design.
Stolen Words by Melanie Florence, illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard
Stolen Words tells the story of the beautiful relationship between a little girl and her grandfather. When the young girl asks her grandfather how to say something in his language – Cree – he admits that his language was stolen from him when he was a boy. The little girl then sets out to help her grandfather find his language again. This picture book explores the intergenerational impact of the residential school system that separated young Indigenous children from their families.
Stolen Words is for ages 6 to 9.
Melanie Florence is a writer of Cree and Scottish heritage. Based in Toronto, she is the author of Missing Nimâmâ, which won the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award in 2016 and the 2017 Forest of Reading Golden Oak Award. Some of her other works include He Who Dreams, The Missing and Benjamin's Thunderstorm, which was illustrated by Hawlii Pichette.
Gabrielle Grimard has illustrated over 30 picture books, including When I Was Eight and Not My Girl. She lives in Quebec.
When I Was Eight by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard
In When I Was Eight, Olemaun is eight years old and knows a lot of things. But she doesn't know how to read. Ignoring her father's warnings, she travels far from her Arctic home to the outsiders' school to learn. Based on the true story of co-author Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, the book makes the bestselling Fatty Legs accessible to younger readers, reminding us what power we hold when we can read.
When I Was Eight, is for ages 6 to 9.
Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, Christy Jordan-Fenton and Gabrielle Grimard have worked on several books together, including Fatty Legs: A True Story, A Stranger At Home, When I Was Eight and Not My Girl.
Margaret Pokiak-Fenton is an Inuvialuk elder and artisan who grew up on Banks Island in the high Arctic. She now lives in Fort St. John, B.C.
Christy Jordan-Fenton lives in Fort St. John, B.C., and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton is her children's grandmother.
Gabrielle Grimard is an illustrator who lives in Quebec.
Go Show the World by Wab Kinew, illustrated by Joe Morse
This rap-song-turned-picture-book by Wab Kinew and Joe Morse celebrates Indigenous leaders in the U.S. and Canada. Some of the figures mentioned include Crazy Horse, Net-no-kwa, former NASA astronaut John Herrington and Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price. Go Show the World was shortlisted for the 2018 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — illustrated books.
Go Show the World is for ages 5 to 9.
Wab Kinew is the Premier of Manitoba and a bestselling author. Previous books by Kinew include The Reason You Walk, which is a memoir about mending his relationship with his father, and the novels, The Everlasting Road and Walking in Two Worlds.
Joe Morse is an artist and children's book illustrator based in Toronto. In 2006, he was nominated for a Governor General's Literary Award for his illustrations in Casey at the Bat, a picture book of Ernest L. Thayer's classic poem. His illustrations also appear in the books Play Ball Jackie!, written by Stephen Krensky and Hoop Genius, written by John Coy, among others.
Sweetgrass by Theresa Meuse, illustrated by Jessica Jerome
In the picture book Sweetgrass, Matthew is going sweetgrass picking with his Auntie and his younger cousin, Warren. Auntie uses her traditional Mi'kmaw knowledge to explain the many uses of sweetgrass — from being used for smudging, as a traditional medicine or as a sacred offering. When they are back home Auntie shows Matthew and Warren how to clean and braid the sweetgrass.
Sweetgrass is for ages 4 to 7.
Theresa Meuse is a First Nations educator and advisor. Her previous books include The Gathering, which was illustrated by Leonard Paul. Sweetgrass was longlisted for the 2023-2024 First Nation Communities Read Awards in the children's category. Meuse was born in the Bear River First Nation and lives in Elmsdale, N.S.
Jessica Jerome is a two-spirit graphic designer, born in the Listuguj Mi'kmaw First Nation, and raised as a member of the Mi'kmaq's of Gesgapegiag.
Walking Together by Elder Dr. Albert D. Marshall & Louise Zimanyi, illustrated by Emily Kewageshig
Walking Together is a picture book by a Mi'kmaw elder that introduces children to the concept of Etuaptmumk or two-eyed seeing. Elder Dr. Albert D. Marshall describes two-eyed seeing as viewing the environment through human eyes while having the ability to see things from another's perspective — including plants or animals or other aspects of nature. In this story we follow a group of young children as they connect with nature.
Walking Together is for ages 4 to 7.
Elder Dr Albert D. Marshall is from the Moose Clan of the Mi'kmaw Nation, Eskasoni First Nation in Unama'ki-Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
Louise Zimanyi is a professor, researcher and writer of French-Canadian and Hungarian descent. She lives in Toronto.
Emily Kewageshig is an Anishnaabe artist, illustrator and visual storyteller. She is from Saugeen First Nation in Ontario. Her previous works include illustrating With Our Orange Hearts, written by Phyllis Webstad.
The Sharing Circle by Theresa "Corky" Larsen-Jonasson, illustrated by Jessika Von Innerebner
The Sharing Circle is a picture book which tells the story of a gentle buffalo who takes a braid of sweetgrass to a local elder and asks her to help with a sharing circle for the animals, after two red foxes have a dispute which breaks apart their community.
The Sharing Circle is for ages 6 to 9.
Theresa "Corky" Larsen-Jonasson is a Cree/Danish Métis Elder with roots in Red Deer and Maskwacis First Nations. Larsen-Jonasson serves as a member of the National Collective of the Walking With Our Sisters missing and murdered Indigenous women awareness movement.
Jessika von Innerebner is an artist and illustrator from Kelowna, B.C. Previous books that she has illustrated include Gifts from Raven, written by Kung Jaadee and Kevin the Unicorn: It's Not All Rainbows which von Innerebner wrote and illustrated.
Betty: The Helen Betty Osborne Story by David A. Robertson, illustrated by Scott B. Henderson
Betty: The Helen Betty Osborne Story is a YA nonfiction book which tells the story of Helen Betty Osborne, known as Betty, who dreamed of becoming a teacher. She left her home to attend residential school and high school in a small town in Manitoba. On November 13, 1971, Betty was abducted and brutally murdered by four young men. Initially met with silence and indifference, her tragic murder resonates loudly today. Betty represents one of almost 1,200 Indigenous women in Canada who have been murdered or gone missing.
Betty: The Helen Betty Osborne Story is for ages 12 and up.
David A. Robertson is a writer and graphic novelist based in Winnipeg. He has published books across a variety of genres, including the graphic novels Will I See? and Sugar Falls, YA book Strangers, the memoir Black Water and the Governor General's Literary Award-winning picture books When We Were Alone and On the Trapline, both illustrated by Cree-Métis artist Julie Flett.
Scott B. Henderson is an author and illustrator based in Winnipeg. Some of his other books include Breakdown, As I Enfold You in Petals and A Blanket of Butterflies. He was also a contributor to the graphic anthology This Place: 150 Years Retold, which is now a CBC Books podcast.
Borders by Thomas King, illustrated by Natasha Donovan
Borders is based on a short story written by Thomas King in 1993, and was adapted as a graphic novel by illustrator Natasha Donovan. It's about a boy and his mother who try to take a road trip from Alberta to Salt Lake City. When they identify as Blackfoot at the American Canadian border, the pair are pressured to change their answer. The story that follows is a powerful and thought-provoking look at justice, resilience and identity.
Borders is for ages 10 to 14.
Thomas King is an influential Canadian American writer of Cherokee and Greek ancestry. His bestselling books include Truth & Bright Water, The Inconvenient Indian and many more. His latest, the novel Indians on Vacation, won the 2021 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour.
Natasha Donovan is a Métis illustrator originally from Vancouver. She has illustrated several graphic novels, including the Surviving the City series by Tasha Spillet and Brett Huson's animal series, which includes The Sockeye Mother, The Grizzly Mother and The Eagle Mother. She also illustrated the cover for The Ghost Collector by Allison Mills and her work appears in the anthology This Place: 150 Years Retold.
Speaking Our Truth by Monique Gray Smith
In Speaking Our Truth, Monique Gray Smith makes the topic of reconciliation accessible to a young audience of Indigenous readers and aspiring allies alike. The innovative book helps young readers understand the history of the residential school system in Canada and its lasting effects on survivors today. Inspired by Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the book includes questions and prompts to help young people think about these complicated issues, and how to move forward with understanding and empathy.
Speaking Our Truth is for ages 9 to 12.
Monique Gray Smith is a Cree, Lakota and Scottish author. Her many other books include the novels Tilly: A Story of Hope and Resilience and Tilly and the Crazy Eights, and the picture books When We Are Kind and My Heart Fills with Happiness. Gray Smith's novel Speaking Our Truth was shortlisted for the 2018 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award.
Dipnetting with Dad by Willie Sellars, illustrated by Kevin Easthope
Dipnetting with Dad is a picture book set in the Cariboo Chilcotin region that shows a father teaching his son the Secwepemc method of fishing known as dipnetting. The father and son visit the sweat lodge, mend their nets and then catch their fish and bring them home for preparation.
Dipnetting with Dad is for ages 4 to 8.
Willie Sellars was born and raised in Williams Lake, B.C., and is the Chief of the Williams Lake First Nation. Dipnetting with Dad won a Moonbeam Children's Book Award and was shortlisted for the Chocolate Lily, Shining Willow and Ontario Library Association awards. Sellars has also written the book, Hockey with Dad, illustrated by Kevin Easthope.
Kevin Easthope is a B.C.-based illustrator. His artistic work spans a variety of mediums including oil painting, graphite and graphic design. He has illustrated the children's books Dipnetting with Dad and Hockey with Dad, both written by Willie Sellars.
I Sang You Down from the Stars by Tasha Spillett-Sumner, illustrated by Michaela Goade
I Sang You Down from the Stars is a story of birth and creation for younger readers. Using poetic language and watercolours, the picture book uses Indigenous creation stories and traditional teachings to celebrate nature and the bond between mother and child.
I Sang You Down from the Stars is for ages 2 to 5.
Tasha Spillett-Sumner is an educator, poet and scholar of Nehiyaw and Trinidadian descent. She is also the author of graphic novel Surviving the City, which won the 2019 Indigenous Voices Award for works in an alternative format.
Michaela Goade is an American-born illustrator from the Tlingit and Haida tribes. Goade won the 2021 Caldecott Medal for her illustrations in the book We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom. She has illustrated numerous other books and wrote and illustrated Berry Song. Goade lives in Juneau, Alaska.
Berry Song by Michaela Goade
A young girl and her grandmother gather gifts from the earth — such as berries from the forest, herring eggs from the ocean and salmon from the stream — in the picture book Berry Song. Throughout their journey, they show a gratitude and kinship with the earth and with the generations that came before them.
Berry Song is for ages 4 to 8.
Michaela Goade is an American-born illustrator from the Tlingit and Haida tribes. Goade won the 2021 Caldecott Medal for her illustrations in the book We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom. She has illustrated numerous other books including I Sang You Down from the Stars by Tasha Spillett-Sumner. Goade lives in Juneau, Alaska.
The Song That Called Them Home by David A. Robertson, illustrated by Maya McKibbin
Inspired by Indigenous folklore, The Song that Called Them Home is a story about two children who go on a trip with their grandfather. They decide to fish for dinner and are unexpectedly thrown overboard. When her brother James is pulled away by the Memekwesewak, a creature from Indigenous legend that lives and interacts with humans, Lauren must pursue a watery adventure to bring James back. But Lauren also feels the pull and the two lost kids are reunited with their grandfather through his song speaking to family, love and tradition.
The Song that Called Them Home is for ages 4 to 8.
David A. Robertson is a writer and graphic novelist based in Winnipeg. He has published books across a variety of genres, including the graphic novels Will I See? and Sugar Falls, YA book Strangers, the memoir Black Water and the Governor General's Literary Award-winning picture books When We Were Alone and On the Trapline, both illustrated by Cree-Métis artist Julie Flett.
Maya McKibbin is two-spirited Ojibway, Yoeme and Irish filmmaker, illustrator and storyteller based in Vancouver. McKibbin previously illustrated the picture book Swift Fox All Along, which was written by Rebecca Thomas.
Circle of Love by Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt
In Circle of Love, young Molly spends the day at the intertribal community centre where they're preparing for a feast. She introduces readers to the people she knows and loves, including her grandmother and her grandmother's wife, her uncles and their baby, her cousins and her cherished friends. Throughout, Molly explains how at the centre, everyone is welcome and "love is love."
Circle of Love is for ages 4 to 8.
Monique Gray Smith's many other books include the novels Tilly: A Story of Hope and Resilience and Tilly and the Crazy Eights, the picture books When We Are Kind and My Heart Fills with Happiness.
Neidhardt is Diné (Navajo) of Kiiyaa'áanii clan and works in a variety of media, including book illustration, mylar stenciling, installation and mural painting and design.
Finding My Dance by Ria Thundercloud, illustrated by Kalila J. Fuller
Finding My Dance is a picture book which tells the true story of Indigenous dancer Ria Thundercloud. From being brought into the powwow circle at four years old, to dancing with her brothers all around the country, to performing as a professional dancer, Finding My Dance takes children on Ria's journey to becoming a dancer.
Finding My Dance is for ages 4 to 8.
Ria Thundercloud is a writer and a professional Indigenous dancer from the Ho-Chunk Nation and Sandia Pueblo. She holds strong ties to her kinship in the Southwest and North, practicing both styles of traditional dance.
Kalila J. Fuller is an American illustrator from Portland, Oregon. She has also illustrated the non-fiction children's book, Indigenous Ingenuity, written by Deidre Havrelock and Edward Kay.
Métis Like Me by Tasha Hilderman, illustrated by Risa Hugo
Métis Like Me is a non-fiction picture book where a group of children of Métis descent share the ways they celebrate their heritage. From enjoying bannock bread and Saskatoon berries, to crafting with beads, to sharing dance, music and songs, the Métis children explore the richness of their culture.
Métis Like Me is for ages 3 to 7.
Tasha Hilderman is a writer of Métis descent and a registered member of the Métis Nation of Alberta. She is the co-owner of a home retail store and garden café in Lloydminster, Sask. Hilderman has a bachelor of arts in English from the University of Saskatchewan. Métis Like Me is her debut novel.
Risa Hugo is an illustrator who has a bachelor of fine arts in illustration from Emily Carr University of Art and Design. She is the author of the book Shadow, and has illustrated other children's books including Leopold's Leotard by Rhiannon Wallace and Why Are You So Quiet? by Jaclyn Desforges. She lives in Vancouver.
Benny the Bananasaurus Rex by Sarabeth Holden, illustrated by Emma Pedersen
In Benny the Bananasaurus Rex, Benny knows that if he eats too many bananas, he might turn into one — but that's not going to stop him. After eating bananas morning, noon and night, he becomes a Bananasaurus Rex and silly chaos ensues.
Benny the Bananasaurus Rex is for ages 3 to 5.
Sarabeth Holden is an Inuk author who grew up between Nova Scotia, Nunavut, New Brunswick and Ontario. She is currently the president of the Toronto Inuit Association. Her debut picture book was 2020's Please Don't Change My Diaper.
Emma Pedersen is a storyteller and illustrator from Ontario. She also illustrated the picture books The Blizzard, written by Heather Main, and Life Cycles of Caribou, written by Monica Ittusardjuat.
Be a Good Ancestor by Leona Prince and Gabrielle Prince, illustrated by Carla Joseph
Children are encouraged to think about the ways in which they live in connection to the world around them in Be a Good Ancestor. Rooted in Indigenous teachings, this picture book looks at animal welfare, environmental issues and the importance of community. The authors deliver a universal message to the readers — to be a good ancestor to the world around them.
Be a Good Ancestor is for ages 3 to 5.
Leona Prince is from the Lake Babine Nation and Nak'azdli Whut'en and belongs to the Lhts'umusyoo (Beaver Clan). She is currently the Director of Instruction of Indigenous Education for School District 91 (Nechako Lakes). Her previous books include A Dance Through the Seasons, illustrated by Carla Joseph. Prince lives in Burns Lake, B.C.
Gabrielle Prince is from the Lake Babine Nation and Nak'azdli Whut'en and belongs to the Lhts'umusyoo (Beaver Clan). Prince is currently a full-time student at the University of Northern British Columbia,
Carla Joseph is a Cree artist originally from Prince George, B.C. She previously illustrated the children's book, A Dance Through the Seasons, written by Leona Prince. She currently lives in Chilliwack, B.C.
Take Us to Your Chief by Drew Hayden Taylor
Take Us to Your Chief is a short story collection by award-winning playwright and author Drew Hayden Taylor. The collection combines Indigenous stories with science fiction. The book was a finalist for the 2017 Stephen Leacock Medal, a prestigious Canadian literary prize for humour writing.
Take Us to Your Chief is for ages 16 and up.
Drew Hayden Taylor is an Ojibway playwright, author and journalist from Curve Lake First Nations in Ontario. He has worked on over 17 documentaries examining Indigenous experiences. His other books include Motorcycle and Sweetgrass.
The Ghost Collector by Allison Mills
The Ghost Collector by Allison Mills is about a young girl named Shelly with an important job. She catches ghosts in her hair and helps them transition to the afterlife. But when Shelly's mom dies, she stops helping the ghosts and starts hoarding them, as she waits for her mother's ghost to arrive. The Ghost Collector is a middle-grade novel inspired by Mills's great-grandmother's life and influenced by her Cree heritage.
The Ghost Collector is for ages 10 and up.
Mills is a writer based in Vancouver. The Ghost Collector is her first book.
He Who Dreams by Melanie Florence
He Who Dreams is a YA novel about a boy called John who discovers he has a passion for dance. After accidentally stumbling into an Indigenous dance class at his local community centre, John finds himself wanting to prioritize dancing over everything else. He finds a dance class for boys at the Native Cultural Centre in his city but struggles with how he's going to tell his family and friends about his new passion.
He Who Dreams is for ages 12 and up.
Melanie Florence is a writer of Cree and Scottish heritage. Based in Toronto, she is the author of Missing Nimâmâ, which won the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award in 2016 and the 2017 Forest of Reading Golden Oak Award. Some of her other works include Stolen Words that won the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award, The Missing and Benjamin's Thunderstorm, which was illustrated by Hawlii Pichette.
Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley
Warrior Girl Unearthed is a YA novel which takes place on Sugar Island, the same location of author Boulley's debut YA novel, and bestseller, Firekeeper's Daughter. Perry Firekeeper-Birch is a twin, often known as the laidback one of the pair. She stays close to home and is known as being the best fisher on Sugar Island. But when a number of Indigenous women begin to go missing, and her family gets caught up in a murder investigation, Perry has to take matters into her own hands.
Warrior Girl Unearthed is for ages 14 and up.
Angeline Boulley is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Boulley writes about her Ojibwe community in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. She is a former Director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education. Her debut novel, Firekeeper's Daughter, was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick and is being adapted for TV by the Obamas' Higher Ground production company. Boulley lives in southwest Michigan.
