Baba's Macedonian Socks
The Baitchopper
Bangles, Badges and Beads
The Bead Pot
Bears and Berries
Beaver, Beads and Pemmican: Canada's Fur Traders
Beef: From Pasture to Platter
Beginning Again: Further Adventures of a Loyalist Family
The Beothuk of Newfoundland: A Vanished People
The Best We Have to Give: The Rights of the Child
Beyond the Ridge
The Big Tree and the Little Tree
Billy Higgins Rides the Freights
Billy's World
Birth of Nanabosho
The Black Snowman
Blast Off to Earth! A Look at Geography
Bones in the Basket: Native Stories of the Origins of People
Brother Anasi and the Cattle Ranch
Buffalo Hunt
Buffalo Hunt
Buffalo Woman
Building an Igloo
Building Machines and What They Do
Byron Through The Seasons
Baba's Macedonian Socks (Print-Fiction). Gigeroff, Alex K. J.C. George Enterprises (JCG), 1993. unp. ISBN 0-921369-14-X ($9.25 pbk.).
(CAN) When two children receive brightly coloured socks their grandma has knit for them, they can't decide whether to wear them or save them. They visit the wise old shepherd whose music inspires them to dance and sing in their new socks.
Suggested Use: Grade 1-Unit 2
The Baitchopper (Print-Fiction). Cameron, Silver D. James Lorimer (FMC), 1982. 166 p. ISBN 0-88862-598-7 ($6.95 pbk.).
(CAN) Set in a fishing village on the East Coast, this story centres around a strike in 1971. The strike causes tensions and divisions within the village and eventually leads to two boys being set adrift in a boat on a stormy night.
Suggested Use:Grade 5-Unit 2
Bangles, Badges and Beads (Print-Non-Fiction). Deshpande, Chris. (Friends Series). A & C Black (FHW), 1990. 25 p. ISBN 0-7136-3235-6 ($13.95 hdc).
Students bring jewellery and badges to class where they discuss their use and purpose. The class then visits a place where jewellery is made. A section of the book shows the children making interesting jewellery out of everyday materials. This is one of a series that features children from several cultures.
Suggested Use: Grade 1-Unit 2
The Bead Pot (Print-Fiction). Poirier, Thelma. Pemmican Publications (PEM), 1993. unp. ISBN 0-921827-30-X ($9.95 pbk.).
(CAN, I/M) Toniya bridges the generations when she bequeaths to her great granddaughter the bead pot that she received from her great grandmother. The bead pot has bridged lifestyles as it travelled with Toniya from a childhood tipi to an adobe house, to a trailer home, and finally to a lodge. The story and colour illustrations by Nona Foster combine realism and the supernatural.
Suggested Use: Grade 1-Unit 4
Bears and Berries (Print-Fiction). Gessler, Trisha. (Queen Charlotte Islands Reading Series). WEDGE (PEP), 1983. unp. ISBN 0-88865-020-5 ($16.00 hdc.).
(CAN, I/M) Sunshine, a young Haida girl in British Columbia, explains the customs of her People in the Eagle clan. She recounts the excitement of berrypicking, eating dried salmon, and being frightened by a wandering bear. Sunshine's mother warns the girl that she must be certain to show respect to any bear she meets. Her mother relates the legend of the bear mother and her cubs to explain why bears are carved on totem poles in front of houses.
Suggested Use: Grade 5-Unit 2
Other Use: English Language Arts
Science
Beaver, Beads and Pemmican: Canada's Fur Traders (Print-Non-Fiction). Farnham, Katherine. Canadian Social Sciences Ltd. (APL), 1987. 92 p. ISBN 0-919913-02-4 ($16.95 hdc.). ISBN 0-919913-03-2 ($13.95 pbk.).
(CAN, I/M) The book provides a chronological, textbook style look at the fur trade as it occurred across Canada. It features maps, drawings and archival photos. Reading may require adult assistance. This book includes a table of contents and an index.
Suggested Use: Grade 5-Unit 2
Other Use: Native Studies 10
Beef: From Pasture to Platter (Video). Beef Information Centre (BIC), 1985. 7 min. No order no. is required. ($25.00).
(CAN) The video explains the role of beef production as an integral part of Canadian agriculture.
Suggested Use: Grade 5-Unit 3
Beginning Again: Further Adventures of a Loyalist Family (Print-Fiction). Fryer, Mary Beacock. Dundurn Press (DUN), 1988. 163 p. ISBN 1-55002-043-9 ($9.99 pbk.).
(CAN) This sequel to Escape: Adventures of a Loyalist Family, tells the story of a father and his three sons building a raft and making a journey to Quebec to sell their logs. The book provides insights into life during the late 1700s and information about the geography of the St. Lawrence and the Atlantic coast.
Suggested Use: Grade 5-Unit 2
The Beothuk of Newfoundland: A Vanished People (Print-Non-Fiction). Marshall, Ingeborg. Breakwater Books, (BRE), 1989. 45 p. ISBN 0-920911-18-8 ($9.95 hdc.).
(CAN, I/M) Written on the basis of the information gleaned from artifacts and the stories told by the last surviving Beothuk People (to 1829), the book describes the Beothuk lifestyles and provides some explanations about their annihilation. The book is illustrated with photos and drawings.
Suggested Use: Grade 5-Unit 2
Other Use: Native Studies 20
The Best We Have to Give: The Rights of the Child (Print-Non-Fiction). UNICEF (UFS), 1989. 69 p. No order no. is required. ($5.95 coil-bound).
(CAN) This resource guide offers background information, activity suggestions, and related resources for each of the ten principles of the rights of the child.
Suggested Use: Grade 3-Unit 3
Beyond the Ridge (Print-Fiction). Goble, Paul. Bradbury (DIS), 1989. unp. ISBN 0-02-736581-6 ($19.50 hdc.).
(I/M) A dying grandmother's journey up a long and difficult slope takes her "beyond the ridge" to the Spirit World. Here she finds an abundance of all that has been good during her life and she is reunited with all the people close to her who have died before. Watercolour and ink illustrations present the landscape of the Plains Aboriginal Peoples, their homes, clothing, and surrounding animal life during the latter part of the 19th century.
Suggested Use: Grade 4-Unit 2
Other Use: English Language Arts
The Big Tree and the Little Tree (Print-Fiction). Speare, Jean E., ed. Pemmican Publications (PEM), 1986. unp. ISBN 0-919143-21-0 ($6.95 pbk.). ISBN 0-919143-23-72 ($16.00 big book).
(CAN, I/M) For years, the mature tree flaunts its superior size and value to the animals who depend on it for food and shelter. When a nearby little tree matures, it recognizes that the older tree no longer feels useful and generously reminds the older tree of the many years during which the big tree has protected the younger tree. The story concludes that the young tree's most important contribution is its loving care of the elder one. A moral tale about respect for Elders, the book offers bold black and white illustration by Terry Gallagher.
Suggested Use: Grade 1-Unit 3
Other Use: Arts Education
English Language Arts
Science
Billy Higgins Rides the Freights (Print-Fiction). Montero, Gloria. James Lorimer (FMC), 1982. 119 p. ISBN 0-88862-579-0 ($6.95 pbk.).
(CAN) At 13, Billy has to quit school to look for work. While mingling with a jobless crowd on a Vancouver street, he finds himself part of the group that votes to ride the freights in the now famous "On-to-Ottawa Trek" of 1935.
Suggested Use: Grade 5-Unit 2
Billy's World (Print-Fiction). Weber-Pillwax, Cora. Reidmore Books (REI), 1989. 24 p. ISBN 0-919091-54-7 ($6.25 pbk.).
(CAN, I/M) Billy finds what has been missing in his life when he goes on the trapline with his grandpa, and feels the warmth and safety of the woods. The text is easily read and illustrated in muted, soft-focus colour.
Suggested Use: Grade 2-Unit 1
Other Use: English Language Arts
Birth of Nanabosho (Print-Non-Fiction). McLellan, Joseph. Pemmican Publications (PEM), 1989. unp. ISBN 0-921827-00-8 ($9.95 pbk.).
(CAN, I/M) When two children visit their grandparents, they hear the story of Nanabosho, the Ojibwa trickster who became a great teacher of the Anishinabeg. The illustrations are by Jim Kirby.
Suggested Use: Grade 3-Unit 2
Other Use: English Language Arts
The Black Snowman (Print-Fiction). Mendez, Phil. Scholastic (SCH), 1989. unp. ISBN 0-590-44873-0 ($4.75 pbk.).
"I hate being black," Jacob shouts in a rage. It takes a black snowman and a kentle (Ashanti cloth) of his ancestors to make him proud of what he is. This story combines realism and the magic of dreams. It has interesting, colour illustrations by Carole Byard.
Suggested Use: Grade 3-Unit 2
Blast Off to Earth! A Look at Geography (Print-Non-Fiction). Leedy, Loreen. Holiday House (ALL), 1992. unp. ISBN 0-8234-0973-2 ($22.95 hdc.).
The geography of earth is explained by a group of aliens who land on and explore our planet. The text appears in aliens' conversation bubbles found in the colourful illustrations. This is an interesting and unusual approach to introducing geography skills.
Suggested Use: Grade 3-Unit 1
Bones in the Basket: Native Stories of the Origins of People (Print-Fiction). Taylor, C. J. Tundra Books (UTP), 1994. 32 p. ISBN 0-88776-327-8 ($17.95 hdc.).
(CAN, I/M) The author/illustrator retells Aboriginal stories about the creation of humans from Zuni, Mandan, Cree, Chuckchee, Osage, Mohawk and Modoc Peoples. The stories are easily read and are enriched with bold colour illustration. Note: Students should be informed that traditionally Aboriginal creation stories are told only in the winter.
Suggested Use: Grade 5-Unit 2
Brother Anansi and the Cattle Ranch (Print-Fiction). DeSauza, James. Children's Book Press (WEI), 1989. 32 p. ISBN 0-89239-044-1 ($17.25 hdc.).
Written in both English and Spanish, this story features Anansi as he tricks his neighbour Tiger out of all his cattle. The story was adapted by Harriet Rohmer and illustrated by Stephen Von Mason.
Suggested Use: Grade 3-Unit 2
Buffalo Hunt (Print-Non-Fiction). Freedman, Russell. Holiday House (ALL), 1988. 52 p. ISBN 0-8234-0702-0 ($28.95 hdc.).
(I/M) The book recounts the hunt in detail, explores beliefs and legends related to the hunt, describes how the buffalo was used by the Plains Aboriginal People, and tells how the decline of the herds meant the loss of independence for the Plains Aboriginals. Illustrations are reproductions of paintings from major art institutions in the U.S. Although reading the narrative may require teacher assistance, the book is informative and interesting.
Suggested Use: Grade 4-Unit 2
Other Use: Native Studies 10
Social Studies 9
Buffalo Hunt (Video). (We Are One Umo Ho Series). Great Plains National (CLC), 1986. 20 min. Order no. 5-1898 ($69.95).
(CAN, I/M) A re-enactment of a buffalo hunt, this video portrays hunters on horseback using bows and arrows.
Suggested Use: Grade 4-Unit 2
Buffalo Woman (Print-Fiction). Goble, Paul. Bradbury (DIS), 1986. 32 p. ISBN 0-027-37720-2 ($19.50 hdc.). ISBN 0-689-71109-3 ($6.95 pbk.).
(I/M) A hunter who has married a woman from the Buffalo Nation learns to accept her in her true form, as a buffalo.
Suggested Use: Grade 4-Unit 2
Other Use: English Language Arts
Building an Igloo (Print-Non-Fiction). Steltzer, Ulli. Groundwood Books (DGL), 1981. unp. ISBN 0-88899-118-5 ($4.95 pbk.).
(CAN, I/M) Kiguktak and his son Jopee build an igloo while they are out hunting. The clear explanation along with close-up photos show each step of the building process.
Suggested Use: Grade 3-Unit 1
Building Machines and What They Do (Print-Non-Fiction). Radford, Derek. Candlewick Press (DGL), 1991. unp. ISBN 1-56402-364-8 ($5.99 pbk.).
The book includes pictures and text that feature heavy equipment for heavy work (e.g., demolition crane, hydraulic hammer, cement mixer, tower crane, underwater bulldozer). Large, attractive illustrations include labels that explain the function of the machines' parts. (See also Cargo Machines and What They Do.)
Suggested Use: Grade 2-Unit 3
Byron Through the Seasons (Print-Fiction). LaLoche Children and Friends. Fifth House (BB), 1990. unp. Order no. BB 7043 ($14.95 hdc.).
(I/M, SK) Produced by students and teachers in LaLoche, this attractive resource highlights aspects of Dene culture that were vital in the past and are still important today. On a visit to school, Grandfather Jones describes activities such as fishing and hunting, moccasin sewing, and cooking bannock over an open fire. As his grandfather speaks, Byron imagines that he is travelling through the seasons with his grandfather. Byron appears in each picture, held aloft by a balloon. Supplementary pages add detailed information about topics such as tanning, preserving, and the camp circuit. This quality resource is illustrated in watercolour and pen. The text is in English and Chipewyan.
Suggested Use: Grade 2-All Units
Other Use: English Language Arts