ISBN: 9781774920985

Price: $22.95

Author(s): Sonya Ballantyne

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Portage & Main / Highwater

Publication: 2024

Book Synopsis: The inspiring true story of how Indigenous activist Michael Redhead Champagne found his voice to create change in his community. Michael might be young, but he’s got a big heart and a strong sense of right and wrong. He knows it’s right to help people when they need it—but what can he do when so many people need help? When Michael finds out about an upcoming youth conference, he sees his chance. But when he gets to the conference, he’s the youngest person there! And the speaker on stage is saying things about his community that aren’t true. Will Michael be brave enough to use his voice to stand up for what he knows is right? Little By Little is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel about how one person can spark change and inspire others.

Curriculum Connection: Activism

Author Details: Written by Swampy Cree writer, filmmaker, and speaker from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sonya Ballantyne. Illustrated by Rhael McGregor, a Queer Two-Spirit/non-binary artist of both Métis and settler heritage working in comics and animation. Lettering by Toben Racicot is a comic book writer and letterer. 

URL: https://goodminds.com/products/little-by-little-you-can-change-the-world-graphic-novel 

ISBN: 9781990297342

Price: $24.95

Author(s): Betty Lynxleg

Format: Paperback

Publisher:  Indigenous Education Press

Publication: 2023

Book Synopsis: Let us walk together through the ABCs of the Numbered Treaties. We purposefully use the ABC, a constructed Language system from the English Language, to talk back to the Numbered Treaties, so named without reference to our Own Language system or the Land. First Nations People entered into Treaties and Agreements prior to Confederation and negotiated the Numbered Treaties after the Confederation of Canada in 1867.

Curriculum Connection: Treaties

Author Details: Written by Anishinaabe educator and author Dr. Betty Lynxleg, Dr. Wahwahbiginojii David Anderson who is Dene/Anishinabe and Bear Clan, and Sandra Samatte, Ojibwe - Saulteaux - from Skownan First Nation Treaty 2 Territory. Illustrated by Julian Grafenauer, Ojibwe from Rolling River First Nation.

URL: https://goodminds.com/products/the-numbered-treaties-a-to-z-1 

ISBN: 9781459507036

Price: $24.95

Author(s): Cathy Jean LeBlanc

Format: Paperback

Publisher:  Formac Publishing

Publication: 2022

Book Synopsis: A combination of science and natural history from a Mi’kmaw cultural perspective. For thousands of years, the Mi’kmaq have been closely observing the natural world and the cycles of the moon and the stars to track the passage of time. Each full moon in an annual cycle was named by the Mi’kmaq to relate to a seasonal event, such as tomcod spawning, birds laying eggs or berry ripening. For the past decade Mi’kmaw Elders and Knowledge Keepers have shared stories of the traditional night sky calendar with authors Cathy LeBlanc and David Chapman. In this book Cathy relays these stories in her role as Auntie to her young relation Holly. Each moon’s story is richly illustrated with an evocative colour painting created for this book by the noted Mi’kmaw artist Loretta Gould. Alongside this presentation of the Mi’kmaw time-keeping traditions, this book offers a brief history of the modern Western calendar, and some basic astronomy facts about the moon’s phases and why the seasons change. This two-eyed seeing approach takes young readers on a journey through one full year in Mi’kma’ki.

Curriculum Connection: Moons, History, Science, Mi'kmaq

Author Details: Cathy Jean LeBlanc is a member of Acadia First Nation and a graduate of St. Thomas University. She is a Mi’kmaw cultural interpreter and Student Support Worker for Indigenous and African Nova Scotian youth. She lives in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. David Chapman is a physicist. Loretta Gould is a Mi'kmaw painter and quilter who loves bright, beautiful colours. A self-taught artist, she grew up in Waycobah First Nation and started painting in earnest in 2013.

URL: https://goodminds.com/products/mi-kmaw-moons-the-seasons-in-mikmaki 

ISBN: 9780062871992

Price: $23.99

Author(s): Christine Day

Format: Hard Cover

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication: 2019

Book Synopsis: All her life, Edie has known that her mom was adopted by a white couple. So, no matter how curious she might be about her Native American heritage, Edie is sure her family doesn't have any answers. Until the day when she and her friends discover a box hidden in the attic—a box full of letters signed “Love, Edith," and photos of a woman who looks just like her. Suddenly, Edie has a flurry of new questions about this woman who shares her name. Could she belong to the Native family that Edie never knew about? But if her mom and dad have kept this secret from her all her life, how can she trust them to tell her the truth now?

Curriculum Connection: Chapter book, Family

Author Details: Christine Day (Upper Skagit) is the author of The Sea in Winter and I Can Make This Promise an American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book.

URL: https://goodminds.com/products/9780062871992 

ISBN: 9781990297311

Price: $22.99

Author(s): Leonard Moose and Mary Moose

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Indigenous Education Press

Publication: 2022

Book Synopsis: There are many stories of the Loon. In this Aadizookaan, we will learn about Maang and the story of how Maang came to look the way this magnificent bird does today. The story of Maang is about how, through good deeds, we are rewarded. Maang is recognized by the good deeds with a necklace around Maang's neck and stars on Maang’s back. These markings on Maang are for all to see from generation to generation. “Maang” means “Grandmother, Keeper of the Lake”. We will also learn why Maang has a special place in the night sky as Giiwedinang, (North Star).  Maang, or the Loon, is one of these ancient stories that our Anishinaabeg Ancestors have gifted us. Illustrated by Leonard Moose.

Curriculum Connection: Creation Story, Anishinaabe

Author Details: Leonard Moose and Mary Moose tell us our Aadizookaanan or Sacred Stories were passed down for thousands of years, filling the long winter nights with Anishinaabeg Oral Histories, Philosophies, and Ceremonies. Maang, or the Loon, is one of these ancient stories that our Anishinaabeg Ancestors have gifted us. Illustrated by Leonard Moose.

URL: https://goodminds.com/products/maang-grandmother-keeper-of-the-lake 

ISBN: 9781774500828

Price: $17.95

Author(s): John MacDonald

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Inhabit Education

Publication: 2022

Book Synopsis: Before maps, compasses, and GPS, Inuit used observation and experience to find their way in the Arctic. This book describes some of the traditional methods Inuit traditionally used to navigate on the land and sea, including using the sun and stars and looking carefully at snowdrifts. Quotations from Elders preserve this knowledge for future generations. Full-colour photographs throughout. This book is part of the Nunavummi Reading Series, a Nunavut-developed series that supports literacy learning while teaching readers about the people, traditions, and environment of the Canadian Arctic.

Curriculum Connection: Wayfinding, Arctic

URL: https://goodminds.com/products/the-arctic-sky-inuit-wayfinding 

ISBN: 9781771089333

Price: $12.95

Author(s): Theresa Meuse

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Nimbus Publishing

Publication: 2022

Book Synopsis: A modern story of traditional Indigenous knowledge that follows a young boy and his Auntie as they gather and braid sweetgrass, one of the four sacred medicines.It’s early July, and for Matthew and his Auntie that means one thing: time to go sweetgrass picking. This year, Matthew’s younger cousin Warren is coming along, and it will be his first time visiting the shoreline where the sweetgrass grows. With Auntie’s traditional Mi’kmaw knowledge and Matthew’s gentle guidance, Warren learns about the many uses for sweetgrass—as traditional medicine, a sacred offering, a smudging ingredient—and the importance of not picking more than he needs. Once the trio is back at Auntie’s house, she shows the boys how to clean and braid the grass.

Curriculum Connection: Traditional  Knowledge, Sacred Medicines, Sweetgrass

Author Details: Born and raised in the Bear River First Nation community, Theresa Meuse is a First Nations educator and advisor. Jessica Jerome is a two-spirit graphic designer, born in the Listuguj Mi'kmaw First Nation, and raised as a member of the Gesgapegiag Band along the banks of the Gaspé Coast. 

URL: https://goodminds.com/products/sweetgrass 

ISBN: 9781984857941

Price: $24.99

Author(s): Adrienne Keene

Format: Hard Cover

Publisher: Ten Speed Press

Publication: 2021

Book Synopsis: Notable Native People: 50 Indigenous Leaders, Dreamers, and Changemakers from Past and Present, is an accessible and educational illustrated book profiling 50 notable American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian people. This book includes NBA star Kyrie Irving of the Standing Rock Lakota to Wilma Mankiller, the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. Celebrate the lives, stories, and contributions of Indigenous artists, activists, scientists, athletes, and other changemakers in this beautifully illustrated collection. (Portraits and illustrations by Chamoru artist Ciara Sana.)From luminaries of the past, like nineteenth-century sculptor Edmonia Lewis--the first Black and Native American female artist to achieve international fame--to contemporary figures like linguist jessie little doe baird, who revived the Wampanoag language, Notable Native People highlights the vital impact Indigenous dreamers and leaders have made on the world. This informative and inspiring collection also offers accessible primers on important Indigenous issues, from the legacy of colonialism and cultural appropriation to food sovereignty, land and water rights, and more. Notable Native People is an indispensable read for people of all backgrounds seeking to learn about Native American heritages, histories, and cultures, and will educate and inspire readers of all ages.  

Curriculum Connection: Leadership, Biographies

Author Details: By Adrienne Keene, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.

URL: https://goodminds.com/products/notable-native-people-50-indigenous-leaders-dreamers-and-changemakers-from-past-and-present 

ISBN: 9781338797268

Price: $23.99

Author(s): Brandon Hobson

Format: Hard Cover

Publisher:  Scholastic Books

Publication: 2023

Book Synopsis: Ziggy has ANXIETY. Partly this is because of the way his mind works, and how overwhelmed he can get when other people (especially his classmate Alice) are in the room. And partly it's because his mother disappeared when he was very young, making her one of many Native women who've gone mysteriously missing. Ziggy and his sister, Moon, want answers, but nobody around can give them.Once Ziggy gets it in his head that clues to his mother's disappearance may be found in a nearby cave, there's no stopping him from going there. Along with Moon, Alice, and his best friend, Corso, he sets out on a mind-bending adventure where he'll discover his story is tied to all the stories of the Cherokees that have come before him.Ziggy might not have any control over the past -- but if he learns the lessons of the storytellers, he might be able to better shape his future and find the friends he needs.

Curriculum Connection: Chapter book, Storytelling, Cherokee, Anxiety

Author Details: Author Brandon Hobson is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation Tribe of Oklahoma.

URL: https://goodminds.com/products/the-storyteller 

ISBN: 9781738736706

Price: $16.95

Author(s): Gidin Jaad (Eagle Woman) Erica Reid & James Reid

Format: Paperback

Publisher: WaveMaker Press

Publication: 2023

Book Synopsis: After Haywaas sees his parents get frustrated while watching the news, this precocious 12-year-old begins a months-long journey navigating many different answers to what he thought was a simple question.

Curriculum Connection: Reconciliation 

Author Details: Gidin Jaad (Eagle Woman) Erica Reid follows her matrilineal lineage of her mother Gidin Jaad (Dee Dee) Crosby. Erica honours her patrilineal lineage of her father William (Butch) Ryan who is Tsimshian from the community of Lax Kw’alaams, BC. Gidin Jaad Erica is an elected representative of her community of Skidegate Hlg̱aagilda at the Council of the Haida Nation in their pursuit of Haida Title exercising Haida Laws. Erica is a graduate of the University of Northern British Columbia with a Bachelor of Education. She is a proud wife and mother of five children. James is a proud father of five. With degrees in history and education he graduated from the University of British Columbia and took his first teaching position in Masset, Haida Gwaii. He has been teaching in Haida Gwaii for sixteen years.

URL: https://goodminds.com/products/haywaas-question-what-is-reconciliation