Each year, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day.

Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation
Andrew Stobo Sniderman and Douglas Sanderson
HarperCollins

Through the story of two families – one Indigenous, one white – in the Waywayseecappo First Nation and the neighbouring town of Rossburn, Manitoba, Sniderman and Sanderson delineate what has gone wrong in the relations between Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous Canadians for 150 years, but also offer hope for reconciliation and how to overcome racism. Valley of the Birdtail was first featured in Q&Q’s fall preview.

 

Our Voice of Fire: A Memoir of a Warrior Rising
Brandi Morin
House of Anansi Press

Brandi Morin has reported on “Indigenous news with a level of care and understanding that is often lacking elsewhere,” writes Kelly Boutsalis in a profile of the journalist on the publication of her debut memoir Our Voice of Fire: A Memoir of a Warrior Rising. “She chose to reveal her past as a survivor to inspire others and show that they’re not alone.”

 

Rehearsals for Living
Robyn Maynard and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
Knopf Canada

In contemplating, among other issues, “the apocalypses of slavery and settler colonialism,” writes Michelle Cyca in this starred review, this epistolary dialogue between Maynard and Simpson creates “a polyphonic work of critical scholarship that radically reframes the concept of survival to map a feminist, abolitionist, and anti-racist path to the future.”

 

Wayi Wah! Indigenous Pedagogies: An Act for Reconciliation and Anti-Racist Education
Jo Chrona
Portage & Main Press

Chrona lays out in detail the ways in which educators and all Canadians can better engage with reconciliation and support Indigenous learners and communities. Grounded in the First Peoples principles of learning, the book provides personal essays, reflection questions, and detailed, historical perspectives to guide individuals in shaping anti-racist and equitable education.

 

Namwayut—We Are All One: A Pathway to Reconciliation
Chief Robert Joseph
Page Two Books
Hereditary Chief of the Gwawaenuk Tribe, Robert Joseph writes of his life and how his experience as a survivor of the residential school system led to his role as peacebuilder with a deep commitment to reconciliation. His book, featured in our fall preview, provides guidance on how to transform our relationships and create societal change.

 

Buffalo Is the New Buffalo
Chelsea Vowel
Arsenal Pulp Press

In her starred review of Chelsea Vowel’s
debut collection of stories, reviewer Michelle Cyca writes that “while the stories grapple with loss, trauma, and violence, the collection is profoundly hopeful, offering expansive visions of Métis existence that encompass the complexity of the past and the potential of a technologically limitless future.”

 

BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS

Majagalee: The Language of Seasons
Shawna Davis and Toonasa Jordana Luggi, photog.
McKellar & Martin, Ages 4–7

In her starred review, Allison Mills notes “Each tableau is intricately tied to the text as Davis explores each of the seasons, focusing not only on nature and the land around her but also on the interconnectedness of the lives of the people and other living beings that share our world. Majagalee is in many ways a love letter – or love poem – to Davis’s home, the land, and the people she treasures.”

 

Maakusie Loves Music
Chelsey June and Jaaji; Tamara Campeau, ill.
Inhabit Education, Ages 7–9

Written by Canadian indie rock duo Chelsey June and Jaaji of Twin Flames, Maakusie Loves Music is an exploration of music in the Arctic. From dances to instruments, this history of music is an engaging look at both traditional and modern Inuit music. Maakusie Loves Music was first featured in Q&Q’s fall preview and has a November 15 release.

 

kā-āciwīkicik / The Move
Doris George and Don K. Philpot; Alyssa Koski, ill.
Heritage House Publishing, Ages 4–8

“A tale that reflects Cree oral storytelling, filled with repetition for emphasis and learning, kā-āciwīkicik/The Move demonstrates the power of hope and ancestral memory in resisting the ravages of colonization,” writes reviewer Fiona Ray Clarke.

 

Together We Drum, Our Hearts Beat as One
Willie Poll and Chief Lady Bird, ill.
Arsenal Pulp Press, Ages 3–8

With the help of her matriarchs and the power of Thunderbird, a young Anishinaabe girl is able to fend off the monster named Hate in this empowering picture book featured in Q&Q’s fall preview. Themes of family and transformation are enhanced by Chief Lady Bird’s beautiful illustrations.

 

I Hope/nipakosêyimon
Monique Gray Smith and Gabrielle Grimard, ill.; Dolores Greyeyes Sand, trans.
Orca Books Publishers, Ages 3–5

“English and Nêhiyawêwin texts are featured simultaneously on each illustrated two-page spread. This presents the languages with equal weight, an important feature in a world that is still reckoning with settler colonialism and attempts to extinguish Indigenous languages. Children exposed to I Hope/nipakosêyimon will see Nêhiyawêwin given the same status as the two official languages of what is now Canada – a feature that is especially empowering for Cree readers,” notes reviewer Allison Mills.

 

Oolichan Moon
Samantha Beynon and Lucy Trimble, ill.
Harbour Publishing, Ages 3–6

Oolichan Moon, the first in a new series entitled Sisters Learn from the Elders, passes down traditional knowledge from Nisga’a Elders about the sacredness of traditional foods, specifically the oolichan fish. Indigenous child and youth mental health clinician Lucy Trimble provides the book’s stunning illustrations. Oolichan Moon was first featured in our fall preview and will be on bookstore shelves October 15.