Residential Schools: Books for ChildrenLike this list

23 items

• Muinji'j Asks Why

  the Story of the Mi'kmaq and the Shubenacadie Residential School

  MacEachern, Muinji'j,

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  Seven-year-old Muinji'j (Breighlynn MacEachern) and her mom Shanika MacEachern (Mi'kmaw) wrote this book together to share the history of the Mi'kmaq and their traditional lands, the arrival of the settlers, and the generational trauma caused by…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Aggie and Mudgy

  the Journey of Two Kaska Dena Children

  Proverbs, Wendy,

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  Based on the true story of the biological mother and aunt of author Wendy Proverb (Kaska Dene), this middle-grade novel shares the terrifying journey of two Kaska Dena sisters as they are taken from their home to attend Residential School.

• White Raven

  Spathelfer, Teoni, 1963-

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  In this picture book based on the life of the author's mother, White Raven tells her grandchildren how she had to leave her family to attend St. Michael's Residential School in Alert Bay, BC, and what happened to her there. Spathelfer is a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I Lost My Talk

  Joe, Rita, 1932-2007,

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  Rita Joe is a Mi’kmaq poet, and this children's book reads like a poem, one line per page. With very few words, she explains so much. Appropriate for young children, it's an unforgettable introduction to the concept of Residential Schools and the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I'm Finding My Talk

  Thomas, Rebecca (Poet),

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  Filled with resilience, joy, celebration and hope, this companion to the I Lost My Talk picture book explores how Thomas (Mi'kmaq) is finding her voice and reconnecting with her culture.

• Speaking Our Truth

  a Journey of Reconciliation

  Gray Smith, Monique, 1968-

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  Written for school-aged children but engaging for teens and adults, Gray Smith (Cree, Lakota and Scottish) explains the history of how Indigenous people have been treated in Canada and frames reconciliation as a compelling, necessary, and hopeful…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Phyllis's Orange Shirt

  Webstad, Phyllis

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  This simple rhyming picture book gently introduces very young children to the true story that inspired Orange Shirt Day. Little Phyllis was excited to go to Residential School in the new orange shirt her grandmother bought her. She was heartbroken…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Orange Shirt Story

  Webstad, Phyllis

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  The Orange Shirt Story tells the story of young Phyllis (Northern Secwepemc (Shuswap) from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation) having her orange shirt taken away on her first day of Residential School. Beautifully and clearly told, with powerful…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Train

  Callaghan, Jodie, 1984-

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  In this picture book, Ashley listens to her Great Uncle's story of how the train took him and all of his friends away from their Mi'kmaq community when he was a child. The children weren't allowed to speak to each other in their language, and they…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• My Name Is Seepeetza

  Sterling, Shirley

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  Shortlisted for the Canadian Governor General's Literary Award, this autobiographical novel tells the story of a six-year-old girl named Seepeetza who is taken from her home and renamed Martha at Residential School. Intended for readers aged 10-12,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• When We Were Alone

  Robertson, David, 1977-

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  Written by David Robertson (Norway House Cree Nation), this beautiful picture book honours and celebrates the resilience of Indigenous children and families who have survived Residential School.

• I Am Not a Number

  Dupuis, Jenny Kay,

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  This first-person account is retold by the Anishinaabeg/Ojibway author Jenny Kay Dupuis, based on her grandmother's stories of being taken away to Residential School as a child. Written as a little girl would experience it, this book doesn't shy…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Stolen Words

  Florence, Melanie,

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  When a little girl asks her grandfather how to say something in his language – Cree – he admits that his language was stolen from him when he was a boy at Residential School. The little girl then sets out to help her grandfather find his language…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Fatty Legs

  a True Story

  Jordan-Fenton, Christy,

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  Looking up to her big sister who has learned to read at Residential School, little Olemaun begs her parents to let her go too. Once there, Olemaun learns the sad truth about how children from her Inuvialuit community are treated by the nuns. They…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• When I Was Eight

  Jordan-Fenton, Christy

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  This picture book is an adaptation of the Fatty Legs novel, telling Margaret Pokiak-Fenton's (Inuvialuk) Residential School story to younger children.

• These Are My Words

  the Residential School Diary of Violet Pesheens

  Slipperjack, Ruby, 1952-

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  Acclaimed author Ruby Slipperjack (Anishinaabe) has created a character, 12-year-old Violet, whose journal tells the story of the author's own life in Residential School in the mid-sixties. This brave and compelling coming-of-age novel is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Shi-shi-etko

  Campbell, Nicola I.

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  This picture book by Nicola I. Campbell (Nłeʔkepmx, Syilx, and Métis) is written in free verse and tells the story of Shi-Shi-Etko, a little girl who knows that in four days she must leave for Residential School and will not see her family for a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Shin-chi's Canoe

  Campbell, Nicola I.

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  Nicola I. Campbell ((Nłeʔkepmx, Syilx, and Métis) continues the story of Shi-shi-etko and her younger brother's entry into Residential School. On the journey by cattle truck, Shi-shi-etko reminds Shin-chi to remember everything about where they come…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Spirit Bear

  Honouring Memories, Planting Dreams : Based on a True Story

  Blackstock, Cindy,

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  Cindy Blackstock (Gitxsan) has created this series of picture books that feature Spirit Bear to educate children in an imaginative way about reconciliation. In this story, Spirit Bear learns from Jake the friendly dog about the Truth and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• You Hold Me Up

  Gray Smith, Monique, 1968-

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  This picture book is a calming, short, and sweet message about kindness and how we can support each other as family and friends. Monique Gray Smith is of Cree, Lakota, and Scottish ancestry, living on Lekwungen territory in Victoria British Columbia.