First Nation Communities Read Nominee 2010
Nine-year-old Sheyenne lives in Sambaa K’e, Northwest Territories - that’s Trout Lake in English. Come learn with her as she takes you on a journey to her community in the fall, the season of moose.
This is the fourth book in the popular series “The Land Is Our Storybook” and features the Dehcho region of the Dene.
Reviews:
"The non-fiction book is colorful with rich, brilliant photographs and maps. Well-organized . . . Intriguing facts are contained within this book, making it a valuable resource for in classrooms, libraries, and homes. Come and Learn With Me can be used with both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal readers to learn about Trout Lake's daily life during the fall moose season. This book will help preserve and keep the Dene Yatie (used to be known as South Slavey) group's language and culture alive. It is an innovative teaching tool and a "must have" to read.
Highly Recommended." ****/4
-- CM magazine
"Readers would be hard pressed to find a book of better quality whether it be for information, text, illustrations, layout, photography, or overall presentation. The text is well written and informative. The text is enhanced by maps, glossary, sidebars, graphics and stunning photography."
Rating: E - Excellent
-- Resource Links
Mindy Willett lives in Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories. She is a teacher at heart although no longer in the classroom. She first came north to Rankin Inlet, Nunavut in 1987 and most recently taught in Kugluktuk, Nunavut from 1996 to 2000. Mindy stopped being a classroom teacher when she had her son Jack. To remain home as much as possible, she started her own home-based business, writing educational materials.
Click here to see pictures of Mindy doing school visits.
Tessa Macintosh has lived and worked north of 60° for over two decades and has been the official photographer for the government of the Northwest Territories for over 10 years. As one of the few professional photographers in the north, Tessa Macintosh has developed a varied repertoire of photographic skills. She is based out of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories and has worked on all of the Land is our Storybook series, capturing poignant moments in every-day lives.
The Land Is Our Storybook is a first-ever series of ten books for children about the diverse lands and cultures of Canada's Northwest Territories. Mindy Willett, an educational consultant and former teacher from Yellowknife, has worked with storytellers-Elders and cultural leaders-from ten regions in the territory to capture real stories of everyday life as it exists today. Told in a uniquely diverse range of northern voices, with a child-centred approach, books in The Land Is Our Storybook series highlight each official Aboriginal language group in the NWT, revealing a richly textured picture of life in the North-on the trapline, around the campfire, in communities, at school, and within the outdoor school that is the land itself. The series celebrates the seasons, ages, genders, traditional activities, and communities of the NWT. The stories are illustrated by the striking images of acclaimed northern photographer, Tessa Macintosh and depict the similarities in lifestyle between children of the North and South, as well as the marked cultural differences, and highlight the special relationship these First Nations people have with the land and how they are adapting to rapid change while remaining connected to the land. Images of the landscape and animals within it, of trapping, hunting, fishing, and bannock baking sit alongside pictures of children at school, swimming at recreation centres, and reading in libraries. Here is modern northern culture painted beautifully: a complex mix of the new and the old.
These wonderful books, written with a variety of provincial and territorial curricula in mind, are specially designed for the classroom and include special features such as glossaries relating details on animals biology and cultural definitions, regional and language maps. The text of the stories also have sidebars such as Our Stories, which contain the stories of the people and language group featured, and Our Words, which highlight words in the featured language that are important to the story.
The first two books in this ground-breaking series were published in Spring 2008 and are suitable for grades four to eight. The tenth and final book in the series will come with a CD of stories told in the languages featured in the books and a teacher's guide for the entire series.
Praise for The Land Is Our Storybook series
"A valuable introduction to an endangered culture."
-- Booklist
"These are positive portraits of northern family life and of child life, cheerful and appealing as well as educational. "
-- The Toronto Star
"Replete with sharp and attractive full-color photographs…These titles provide some useful information for reports and are interesting additions for general reading. "
-- School Library Journal
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