February is I Love to Read Month: a month long celebration to encourage reading, writing, and sharing in the joy of literacy. The theme of this year’s I Love to Read Month is “Joyful Reading in a New World”. It is with this theme in mind that I scoured the Internet to find some books to share.
I have created a list of 5 children’s books written by Indigenous women and 2-spirted authors for you to enjoy with the children in your life. Almost every book listed is available through the Winnipeg Public Library (47,000 Beads sadly is not available at the library).
The Pencil by Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula and illustrated by Charlene Chua. The Pencil tells the story of three siblings who have their eye on the only pencil in their iglu, which their Mum uses to write letters. When their Mum leaves for the day, their Dad brings out the pencil and the kids begin drawing on the only piece of paper. By the time their Mum returns, only a little bit of the pencil is left. The story was inspired by Susan Avingaq’s children memories of growing up in an iglu and shows the importance of using your things wisely and valuing what you have.
What’s My Superpower? by Aviaq Johnston and illustrated by Tim Mack tells the story of Nalvana. Nalvana’s friends all have a superpower such as superspeed (they always beat her in races), super strength (they can dangle on the monkey bars longer than her) and other amazing powers. Nalvana is the only kid in town without a superpower! With some help from her Mum, Nalvana learns she is unique and special and her superpower was right in front of her all along.
My Heart Fills With Happiness by Monique Gray Smith and illustrated by Julie Flett is a board book for younger kids. It follows a little girl reflecting on everything that makes her happy, from the sun on her cheeks to the smell of bannock baking in the oven. This book also comes in Cree titled “sâkaskinêw nitêh miywêyihtamowin ohci” and is a good resource for parents who are reconnecting with the language and who want to help their little one learn too.
47000 Beads by Koja and Angel Adeyoha. Peyton loves to dance, and especially at pow wow, but her Auntie notices that she’s been dancing less and less. When Peyton shares that she just can’t be comfortable wearing a dress anymore, Auntie Eyota asks some friends for help to get Peyton what she needs. This is the first book I’ve found that is about a 2-spirited main character, a 2-spirited Elder, and was written by 2-spirited authors!
Kerri Berry Lynn by Sonya Ballantyne and illustrated by Celeste Sutherland. This may be a bias pick as it is my own book. I always wanted to write a book about a Cree hero who was kind and brave. I didn’t realize until I was a little bit older that this Cree hero was my own little sister Kerri, and she is the inspiration for Kerri Berry Lynn. The book follows a little Cree girl from Misipawstik Cree Nation who is gifted 7 doggie brothers and sisters by her Chapan (Great Grandmother). When the family encounters a mean dog, it is Kerri who sees past the mean dog’s growls and realizes what is wrong. The book also has a Swampy Cree dictionary for all the words used in the book. If your little one love Paw Patrol, they will really like this book.
We are giving away a package of all 5 books! To enter, post a picture of you and your family enjoying a book together on our MMVI Facebook page and email Sonya at sballantyne@mmvi.ca
If you haven’t already, become a member of MMVI today!