Just Lucky by Cree/Scottish author Melanie Florence is the story of Lucky, a teen who tries to find home again with the help of her friend, Ryan and her Grandma. A number of events leaves Lucky in the hands of Children’s Aid. She is moved between foster homes and school districts, all the while trying to fit in under difficult circumstances. Her foster home experiences are a mix of bad and better ones. Just Lucky weaves friendship, bullying, family and loss with love, patience and responsibility.

Nibi’s Water Song by Anishinabeg author Sunshine Tenasco from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, Quebec, and who is also a clean water activist and illustrated by Chief Lady Bird a Chippewa and Potawatomi artist from Rama First Nation and Moosedeer Point First Nation is the story of very thirsty Nibi who needs to drink clean water, yet the water is always brown. She goes looking for drinking water and this is when her message begins to resonate with all that is around her. There is a statement about the need for clean water at the end of the book and information about the author and artist.

Nibi a soif, très soif is the French version of Nibi’s Water Song by Anishinabeg author Sunshine Tenasco from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, Quebec, and who is also a clean water activist. This work is illustrated by Chief Lady Bird a Chippewa and Potawatomi artist from Rama First Nation and Moosedeer Point First Nation; the text is translated into French by Hélène Rioux. This is the story of very thirsty Nibi who needs to drink clean water, yet the water is always brown. She goes looking for drinking water and this is when her message begins to resonate with all that is around her.

Neekah's Knitting Needles is a delightful story about learning to knit in the Cowichan style based on the knitting of Cowichan people from near Port Alberni. In Neekah’s Knitting Needles, the knittling style is based on the work of Odelia Smith from Tsartlip First Nation near Victoria, B.C. Coast Salish knitting is also part of a National Film Board documentary, The Story of the Coast Salish Knitters. Sheena Lot is a picture book illustrator and has won numerous awards for her work. In Neekah’s Knitting Needles Neekah is finally old enough to learn to knit.

Neekna and Chemai first published by Theytus Books in 1984 was reprinted for the third time in 2018. Written by renowned Okanagan author and scholar Jeannette Armstrong with illustrations by Okanagan artist Barbara Marchand this book is designed to appeal to elementary level readers. Part story and picture book this title contains factual information about the Okanagan Nation prior to the contact period. Told from the perspective of two friends, Neekna and Chemai recount the seasonal rounds of their families living on the land in the British Columbia interior.

A Dance Through the Seasons is the story of curious Young Woman who is visited by the Ancestors in a dream. When she awakes she is full of resolve to help the adults take a difficult journey to a beautiful place based on the knowledge she feels she has received in her dream. However, the adults do not agree. She is visited by her Grandmother who teaches her the lesson of peace. She is then visited by Turtle, who teaches her to see the living and non-living that surrounds her through the seasons and to learn valuable lessons from these experiences.

Great Women from our First Nations is part of the Second Story Press series, First Nations Book for Young Readers. This 2015 printing contains the same biographies found in 7th Generation title, Native Women of Courage for Young Readers This is a collection of brief biographical sketches of ten outstanding First Nations women. Métis author Kelly Fournel celebrates the lives of Winona LaDuke, Sarah Winnemucca, Maria Tallchief, Mary Kim Titla, Sandra Lovelace Nicholas, Susan Aglukark, Wilma Mankiller, Suzanne Rochon-Burnett, Lorna B. Williams, and Pauline Johnson.

Kaqtukowa’tekete’w The Thundermaker is retold and illustrated in this 2018 paper edition by Mi’kmaw artist.  This 32-page Mi'kmaq / English dual language picture book from Nimbus Publishing’s publication for children explains the importance of thunder. In this account begins in a time long before the world was completed. Set in a small village, the story begins with a family sitting beside their cooking fire while the mother tells a traditional story. Father is Big Thunder, mother is Giju, a renowned storyteller, and their son, Little Thunder. Each has an important role.

Les nouvelles kamiks de Viivi (Viivi's New Kamiks), Level 9 is a leveled reader that uses a sequential story to introduce children to kamiks, a traditional boot Inuit have worn for hundreds of years. An explanatory note helps children understand what kamiks look like and why they are worn. All nine-year-old Viivi wants for her birthday is a pair of kamiks. These special books take a long time to make and also each person must take good care of their pair. Viivi sets out to prove to her parents that she is a responsible person who can now care for her boots.

Makoons is Book Five of Louise Erdrich's Birch Bark House Series for children from grade three to seven.

Reading Counts Level: 5.5