You Were Made for This World: Celebrated Indigenous Voices Speak to Young People. Edited by Stephanie Sinclair and Sara Sinclair with a foreword by Mazina Giizhik-iban (Murray Sinclair). tundra, Penguin Random House. 2025. $28.99 all ages

"Mother Earth takes care of us without 
ever asking anything in return. We need
to give back and help the water and the 
planet. They need our voices. 

Use your voice like I have chosen to use mine."

                                - Autumn Peltier

This fine collection of letters and art celebrate Indigenous voices for young people. Reading the many entries show readers that they belong, and that they deserve recognition for who they are. Every single one matters. Forty-three writers, artists, activists, athletes, teachers, and others celebrate what young people can do while encouraging them to share the pride they have in their heritage. They speak of finding comfort in the language and traditions that make them who they are, and invite readers to share their experiences with others. 

Five titled medicine bundles are included: Water, Tobacco, Cedar, Sweetgrass and Sage. Within these traditional medicine sections, twenty influential writers encourage readers to think about their strengths, their place in the world, and what their future might look like. Each writer's entry is accompanied by meaningful and beautiful artwork that reflects the warm encouragement being shared. 

The book offers a starting point for conversations to be had with children to help them feel good about themselves and their ancestry. There is a lot of misunderstanding for young kids who may not be fully aware of family, the past, and what the future might bring. The writers and artists are well-known to many and offer encouragement at every turn of the page. 

In their own family, the editors learned about the horrors of the Holocaust from their Jewish grandmother, while there was shame felt and secrets kept about their Indigenous grandfather's survival at an Indian Residential School. It is their wish that young people today will find their own identity and culture through the entries presented. The letters serve as a look at the past while encouraging wishes for times to come. 

A list of contributors brings the book to an end, with names and short informative passages about each. 

"Watch your aunties and copy what they do. That's the 
best way to learn. 

You don't need to cut moose meat, scale fish, pick 
medicine, or go to sweat lodge to be an Indian. 

Love your friend and your family. 

Accept love back. 

You were made for this world. 

                         Jessica Johns"

Little Shoes, written by David A. Robertson and illustrated by Maya McKibbin. tundra, Penguin Random House. 2025. $24.99 ages 7 and up

 

"The march ended in front of a big pile 
of things. Teddy bears. Flowers. Tobacco ties.

But mostly, there were little shoes. 

Some looked like they would fit him. 
Some looked too big. 
And some looked too small."

James is a thinker. If he wakes up in the night, his attention is taken by scientific learning. It seems the perfect time to follow the moonlight right into his mother's room and ask her the questions that he cannot answer for himself. Mom patiently answers his questions and relates what he has learned from his Kokom. 

""That we came to Earth from the stars," James said.
"That we came to Earth from a hole in the sky and 
brought the star blanket with us as a gift.""

His mother agrees and tells him that his home is with her. Then, they tuck in together and go right back to sleep. When he can't sleep the next evening, he thinks about the constellations and the Night Sky stories his kokom shares. Are there more? His mother reminds him there are as many stories as there are stars. Perhaps when he is a grandfather, he will know them all. 

On the next night, he and his kokom made a plan for a walk. This one is unlike their other walks; Kokom called this one a march. At the end of the march there is a big pile of things, and a lot of little shoes. Kokom says this memorial march led to shoes that honored the children who went to residential school and did not come home. It scared James to think about going away to school and not coming home to his mom. 

Waking later that evening, he returns to his mom's room and asks who cuddled Kokom and her sister when they were at the residential school if they were awake in the night. Luckily, she tells him they had each other. It is all he needed to know to go back to sleep, tucked up beside his mother.  

David Robertson does not sugarcoat the story about children being sent to residential schools and not coming home; he does, however, ensure that full descriptions of the time spent away from families is not explicit. He leaves those who share this story to answer questions asked by their young listeners in conversations that are appropriate for their understanding. Sensitive and written for a younger audience, this book is reassuring while also providing important information from our past history. 

Dad, I Miss You. Written by Nadia Sammurtok and illustrated by Simji Park. Inhabit Media, Orca Book Publishers. 2024. $22.95 ages 9 and up

 

"Oh no, I can hear the airplane approaching, I 
don't want to go back there, Dad. 

It'll all be over soon. Before you know it, they'll 
let us have you home with us again. Just do as 
they say, my son. 

They said it will be better this way."

In this story about a young boy who has been taken from his home to attend a residential school, Ms. Sammurtok speaks for both the father and his son. In dialogue that passes back and forth, readers are made aware of the love each has for the other. 

The boy wants to show his father that he has learned the lessons he taught about fishing; the father wants to go fishing with him again. The plane will soon arrive. The boy doesn't want to go back. The father uses a reassuring voice to let his son know it won't be long until he returns. The child begs; the father worries that their baby girl will be next. 

It's heartbreaking for the two to be separated once again. 

"Goodbye, my son. I'll see you soon. 
Remember to always think of us, 
your grandparents, and your home. 
Think about the things we taught you. 
Think about your language, and where 
you come from. 

Before you know it, you'll be back home, 
with us, your family." 

The child hates everything about the school: the cold, the smells, the people, and that he cannot speak his own language. The father speaks of the pain of his absence, and the guilt for letting him go. The boy wants to be home. Dad speaks of memories of time spent together. The boy cries with hunger. 

When the boy returns, he feels he no longer belongs. He has forgotten so much, including the language of his people. The family will do their best to help him recover all he has lost while he was away from them. 

This book will begin to help readers understand the pain of separation and longing for home. Emotion-filled artwork provides clear settings for both places and has a real impact. 

An afterword explains that the author wrote this heartfelt book as a conversation between what the father and his son were thinking while they were apart. Too often survivors could not find the words to speak aloud of their experiences. Only with time might the two find a way to talk about what happened.                                                                           

Bernice and the Georgian Bay Gold, written by Jessica Outram. Second Story Press, 2023. $12.95 ages 9 and up

"Our lighthouse stands on an island. All the 
colors of the sky reflect on the white shingles
and red roof. Built to help ships on Georgian 
Bay find the Byng Inlet channel, it shines a big 
light from the tower across the water day and 
night. The light warns boats that they need to be 
careful because of the rocky shoreline and shoals. 

Sunset is a special time to imagine stories in my 
head. West of the island is water as far as I can 
see. Other small islands rest nearby, mounds of 
rock that look like the backs of giant sleeping 
turtles. Can you imagine if one day the islands 
start to move like turtles waking up from a nap? 
I love to picture bay turtles walking through the 
channels, so big their feet touch bottom in the 
deep water. They may even munch on a whole 
pine tree for a snack."

It is 1914, and Bernice Lamondin and her family operate the lighthouse on Gereaux Island, Byng Inlet, Georgian Bay on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg. In her imagined account of Bernice's family and their history, Jessica Outram begins with Bernice exploring the waters of Georgian Bay in her rowboat. She loves the water, its shores, and the beauty she finds there. 

Upon her return home to the lighthouse, readers are introduced to her family: her brothers Ernest, William and Alcide, her sister Florence, her mom and dad, and her memer, the family storyteller. When she wakes in the morning, it is to discover a man asleep in the living room. She eventually learns his name is Tom, His presence is a mystery that consumes Bernice; his story will become part of her quest to help her family by finding a treasure. The inclusion of Tom Thomson as a visitor describing 'gold' on a nearby island has Bernice setting herself a mission to find what her beloved family needs to make things better for all. 

Readers will be intrigued by Bernice and her family. They are fine people and bring an energetic feeling to the story, while also allowing for more serious matters concerning their Metis heritage. There are family discussions concerning the two cultures, French and Ojibway, and the fact they are neither. Throughout her story, the author introduces Michif French which the family speaks. 

In an author's note, Ms. Outram explains that Bernice and her family were not allowed to speak their language at school, resulting in a loss of that language to future generations. Other changes in family circumstances were made to protect the family. Discrimination of the Metis people is highlighted and encourages the reader to learn more about Louis Riel and the Red River Rebellion, an important segment of Canadian history. 

Characters are admirable and honest. Their relationships ring true as they work together, search for adventure, and learn about the world. The importance of family is evident throughout; Mamer plays a very important role as Elder and teacher. This is a worthwhile read for a middle grade classroom. 

The Secret Pocket, written by Peggy Janicki and illustrated by Carrielynn Victor. Inhabit Media, Orca. 2023. $21.95 ages 8 and up

"I was always hungry and cold at Lejac. When 
I was small, it was extra hard. I remember the
older girls helping me - Betsy helped me. I cried
because my stomach hurt from not having enough
food. Betsy taught me how to eat toothpaste so the 
pain would go away. She was my hero. Always."

This is a story of the author's mother Mary who, as a young child, lived happily with her grandparents and family near a lake. Mary speaks lovingly of times spent together and the happiness found in learning traditional ways of living. All that changed with the arrival of a black car carrying a priest and a nun. The two talked with her grandparents and convinced them that Mary would be a perfect student at the Lejac residential school; her brother and sister would accompany her. 

Far from home, the children were separated into boys' and girls' sides of the schoo. They were not allowed to see each other. Mary and the other girls were constantly hungry; the teachers were strict and often cruel; the children daydreamed about being allowed to return home for a winter break or for the summer. Always homesick, dread filled them as they awaited the end of summer and a return to the school. Conditions there were terrible and the children were so unhappy. 

Their hunger led Mary and other girls to use the sewing skills they had learned at home to sew secret pockets in their petticoats. That meant they had a place to hide any of the food they were able to sneak out of the kitchen. They were courageous and persistent in assuring that they all had enough to eat. 

"Our hearts burst with pride when we walked past 
the Sisters with our secret pockets filled with food. 

We sewed more pockets. We took more food -
apples. carrots, pieces of bread. We fed the small 
hungry girls and ourselves.

We found our ways and filled our pockets with 
what we needed to carry on. We filled our pockets
with so much more than food. We filled them 
with our future."

Ms. Victor's artwork is emotional and offers realistic glimpses at the differences between the warmth happiness experienced at home, and the stark reality of life in the residential school. A glossary and author's note are included in back matter. 

"We were geniuses. We are geniuses. We will always be geniuses."                                                                                 

She Holds Up The Stars, written by Sandra Laronde. Annick Press, 2022. $11.95 ages 10 and up

 

"Coming back to the reserve brought up a 
lot of memories of her missing mother. It 
felt so remote here - so isolated, and what 
could she possible do on this rez? Why do 
I even have to be here in the first place? I 
don't want to be here."

Misko doesn't want to leave Winnipeg where she has lived with her aunt since her mother went missing. At 12, she worries about the isolation she will feel. She also feels compelled by her dreams to return to her grandmother and other relatives. Perhaps once she is there, she will learn more about her mother who disappeared when she was only 4. No one ever really answers the questions that she has. Once she has settled, she feels a strong connection to her grandmother, her cousins and her Ojibway traditions. 

Misko also meets a beautiful horse she names Mishtadim because of the unusual connection they seem to have. Appalled by the way Thomas and his father, who live on a nearby ranch, are working to 'break' the horse's spirit, Misko wants to stop them and the violence they are using. Her fight for the rights of Mishtadim prove how strong and determined Misko is when faced with great adversity and cruelty. 

Misko and Thomas become friends through their love of Mishtadim, and Thomas' reticence to tame the horse according to his father's wishes. As Misko spends more time with her family, she remembers how important it is to belong. Home will always be where her heart is. She feels the pull of her ancestors at every turn, and as she is immersed in family and her Anishinaabemowin language. So much connects her to life on the rez. What beauty she finds in her surroundings there.  

Many important discoveries are made, and lessons learned.