Here you will find resources related to Indigenous early childhood education.
Image Courtesy of Pixabay CC0 Public Domain
A Broken Flute by 
The West Is Calling by 
Shi-Shi-Etko by
Shi-shi-etko just has four days until she will have to leave her family and everything she knows to attend residential school. She spends her last precious days at home treasuring and appreciating the beauty of her world -- the dancing sunlight, the tall grass, each shiny rock, the tadpoles in the creek, her grandfather’s paddle song. Her mother, father, and grandmother, each in turn, share valuable teachings that they want her to remember. Shi-shi-etko carefully gathers her memories for safekeeping. LaFave’s richly hued illustrations complement Campbell’s gently moving and poetic account of a child who finds solace around her, even though she is on the verge of great loss -- a loss that native people have endured for generations because of Canada’s residential schools system.
Shin-Chi's Canoe by
Winner of the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award and finalist for the Governor General's Award: Children's Illustration. When they arrive at school, Shi-shi-etko reminds Shinchi, her six-year-old brother, that they can only use their English names and that they can't speak to each other. For Shinchi, life becomes an endless cycle of church mass, school, and work, punctuated by skimpy meals. He finds solace at the river, clutching a tiny cedar canoe, a gift from his father, and dreaming of the day when the salmon return to the river -- a sign that it's almost time to return home. This poignant story about a devastating chapter in First Nations history is told at a child's level of understanding. Winner of the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award and finalist for the Governor General's Award: Children's Illustration
Fatty Legs by
Eight-year-old Margaret Pokiak has set her sights on learning to read, even though it means leaving her village in the high Arctic. Faced with unceasing pressure, her father finally agrees to let her make the five-day journey to attend school, but he warns Margaret of the terrors of residential schools. At school Margaret soon encounters the Raven, a black-cloaked nun with a hooked nose and bony fingers that resemble claws. She immediately dislikes the strong-willed young Margaret. Intending to humiliate her, the heartless Raven gives gray stockings to all the girls -- all except Margaret, who gets red ones. In an instant Margaret is the laughingstock of the entire school. In the face of such cruelty, Margaret refuses to be intimidated and bravely gets rid of the stockings. Although a sympathetic nun stands up for Margaret, in the end it is this brave young girl who gives the Raven a lesson in the power of human dignity. Complemented by archival photos from Margaret Pokiak-Fenton’s collection and striking artworks from Liz Amini-Holmes, this inspiring first-person account of a plucky girl’s determination to confront her tormentor will linger with young readers.
As Long As the Rivers Flow by
Starting in the 1800s and continuing into the 20th century, First Nations children were forcibly taken to government-sponsored residential schools to erase their traditional languages and cultures. This moving book tells of one such child, author Larry Loyie, and his last summer with his Cree tribe. It is a time of learning and adventure. He cares for an abandoned baby owl, watches his grandmother make winter moccasins, and sees her kill a huge grizzly with one shot. The sensitive text and Heather Holmlund's expressive illustrations beautifully capture the joy and drama of a First Nations family's last summer together.
My Name Is Seepeetza by
Her name was Seepeetza when she was at home with her family. But now that she's living at the Indian residential school her name is Martha Stone, and everything else about her life has changed as well. Told in the honest voice of a sixth grader, this is the story of a young Native girl forced to live in a world governed by strict nuns, arbitrary rules, and a policy against talking in her own dialect, even with her family. Seepeetza finds bright spots, but most of all she looks forward to summers and holidays at home.
Kookum's Red Shoes by
Kookum remembers the experiences in her youth that changed her life forever, and we see what was lost in her life, and how goodness persisted.
The library has two Aboriginal Storytime Kits that can be signed out at the Library Services Desk. Each kit has a different theme and includes books and a toy.
The Mind of a Child, National Film Board of Canada, 2009
Documents the work of Vancouver School District First Nations education specialist Lorna Williams [St'at'yemc Nation], who, having researched Reuven Feuerstein's views on cognitive development and cultural transmission, has adapted his mediated learning theory and teaching methods for use by British Columbia teachers of aboriginal children. Includes interviews with Feuerstein & footage of programs in action in Isreal/Palestine, Ethiopia and inner-city Washington, D.C.
