Our collection of picture books featuring Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC) is available to the public. *Inclusion of a title in the collection DOES NOT EQUAL a recommendation.* Click here for more on book evaluation.
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45 matching books
Show FiltersOleepeeka’s first hunt
"A story about traditional knowledge and hunting from the northern community of Panniqtuuq, Nunavut. Oleepeeka is from Panniqtuuq, Nunavut. It’s time for her first hunting trip! Oleepeeka is excited to spend the day with Ataata and learn about catching ptarmigans. Join Oleepeeka and Ataata as they set off on the land and bring home a special feast for their family." -- publisher
Where did the Walruses go?
"Naullaq loves spending time outdoors at his family’s summer camp in Peterhead Inlet. One day during a walk on the shoreline, his ataata shares an exciting discovery with him: a walrus skull! But Naullaq never sees walruses there. Where did they go? Naullaq's ataata tells Naullaq a traditional story about why all the walruses disappeared from Peterhead Inlet." -- publisher
Willy’s New Pup
"When Willy's friend Sid comes to visit, he brings Willy a surprise—a new pup! Willy's new pup is strong and fast, but he needs a lot of training before he can become the new lead dog. When Willy finally decides his new pup is ready for his first hunting trip, something happens that puts the dog's strength and bravery to the test. Based on true events, this story from Labrador shows the powerful bond between a dog team driver and his lead dog." -- publisher
Wolverine and Little Thunder
"From the bestselling creator of The Thundermaker comes another adventure featuring Little Thunder and Wolverine—a trickster, who is strong and fierce and loyal. The two are best of friends, even though Wolverine can sometimes get them into trouble. Their favourite pastime is eel fishing, whether it's cutting through winter ice with a stone axe or catching eels in traditional stone weirs in the summer. But that all changes one night, when they encounter the giant river eel—the eel that is too big to catch. The eel that hunts people! At once a universal story of friendship and problem-solving, Wolverine and Little Thunder is a contemporary invocation of traditional Mi'kmaw knowledge, reinforcing the importance of the relationship between the Mi'kmaq and eel, a dependable year-round food source traditionally offered to Glooscap, the Creator, for a successful hunt. From the bestselling creator of The Thundermaker comes another adventure featuring Little Thunder and Wolverine—a trickster, who is strong and fierce and loyal. The two are best of friends, even though Wolverine can sometimes get them into trouble. Their favourite pastime is eel fishing, whether it's cutting through winter ice with a stone axe or catching eels in traditional stone weirs in the summer. But that all changes one night, when they encounter the giant river eel—the eel that is too big to catch. The eel that hunts people! At once a universal story of friendship and problem-solving, Wolverine and Little Thunder is a contemporary invocation of traditional Mi'kmaw knowledge, reinforcing the importance of the relationship between the Mi'kmaq and eel, a dependable year-round food source traditionally offered to Glooscap, the Creator, for a successful hunt." -- Publisher
Lighting the Qulliq
"How do you light the qulliq? This wordless sequence book shows a grandmother and granddaughter lighting a qulliq long ago." -- publisher
Long Powwow Nights
"The Powwow is a time-honored Native American custom. It is a celebration of life and spirituality, a remembrance of traditions, uniting a people through dance and ritual. Long Powwow Nights takes you on a wonderful journey, honoring these mystical dancers who keep their traditions alive through dance and song. In its poetic verses, David Bouchard and Pam Aleekuk skillfully narrate the story of a mother's dedication to her roots and her efforts to impress upon her child the importance of culture and identity." -- publisher
Sun Dog
"From Suzanne Del Rizzo, award-winning illustrator of My Beautiful Birds, and author Deborah Kerbel comes a unique story about a brave sled dog puppy's adventures under the Arctic Circle's midnight sun. Juno and her boy live in a red house at the top of the world. One day Juno will be big and strong enough to help pull a sled across the tundra, but for now she is just a small puppy with a big-dog heart. Small puppies have to go to bed when their boys do, but Juno can’t sleep with the midnight sun shining out across the town. She slips outside to play. Returning to see a hungry polar bear sniffing around the open door, Juno has no time to be afraid. It’s time to summon the big dog inside her and save her beloved boy. With Deborah Kerbel’s warm, expressive text, Sun Dog is a love letter to life in the Arctic Circle from the perspective of a sled dog pup. Suzanne Del Rizzo’s dimensional art in polymer clay and acrylic wash offers both an intimate romp with a young puppy and a sweeping celebration of the vast and beautiful tundra." -- publisher
Kits, cubs, and calves: an Arctic summer
"On a visit to Nunavut, Akuluk learns about Arctic animals and the importance of the environment we all share. Akuluk is visiting her family in Nunavut and can’t wait to get out on her uncle’s boat for a ride into the powerful Arctic Ocean. Surrounded by her family, and with her trusty toy polar bear beside her, Akuluk experiences the beautiful sights, sounds, and animals that abound in the ocean and along the shore during the short Arctic summer—from a mother polar bear and her cubs to a family of belugas and tiny Arctic fox kits. As they encounter each animal, Akuluk’s aunt and uncles share with her how each species cares for its young, and how they protect their babies from the other animals who share their ecosystem. This beautiful story of family connection and respect for the natural world teaches young readers how close humans are to our animal counterparts and that caring for the environment in which we live is one of our most important responsibilities." -- publisher
When pumpkins fly
"In a remote Arctic community, kids carve and light their first jack-o-lantern. But what will the spirits do with the pumpkin once it’s left alone? The air is cold, the nights are long, and Halloween is just around the corner. This is the time of year when pumpkins fly! In the remote, fly-in community of Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, the last cargo flight of October brings some strange orange guests for the children. Seeing a pumpkin for the first time, the local kids eagerly carve and light their first jack-o-lantern. But when everyone adjourns to the community hall for the Halloween dance, the pumpkin is left alone outside. The land around Sanikiluaq is home to many spirits who love to cause mischief, especially this time of year. But what would a land spirit do with a pumpkin? This adorable book gives young readers a window into how Halloween is celebrated in an Arctic Inuit community, incorporating contemporary celebrations and Inuit folklore." -- publisher
Very Last First Time
"An ALA Notable Children’s Book, Very Last First Time comes from one of Canada's most distinguished storytellers and an award-winning illustrator. Eva Padlyat lived in an Inuit village on Ungava Vat in northern Canada. In winter, when people wanted mussels to eat, they searched along the bottom of the seabed. Eva had often walked on the bottom, helping her mother, but today – for the very first time – she was to go down below the thick sea ice herself. Her mother went with her to the shore and out onto the ice. The time was just right. The outgoing tide had pulled the seawater away, leaving only the ice above and the rock-strewn seabed below. Eva lowered herself through a hole in the ice and, by candlelight, had soon gathered a pan full of mussels. There was still time to explore, she decided. But she stumbled and her candle went out. She was alone in the darkness, and the tide had turned. When, at the end of her adventure, she is safe with her mother again on top of the ice, she says, "that was my very last first time for walking alone on the bottom of the sea."" -- publisher