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.
Find titles using a keyword search below (e.g. adoption, birthday, holidays, etc.), or by selecting one or a combination of filters on the lefthand sidebar below.
First time here? Start here!
31 matching books
Show Filters
Mr. Mergler, Beethoven, and me
"An elderly piano teacher takes a young music student under his wing and changes her life. This story is inspired by events in the life of Daniel Mergler - a wonderful musician who loved to teach and whose generous spirit inspires author and journalist David Gutnick to this day.
Mayann’s train ride
"Nine-year-old Mayann Francis and her family are travelling from their home in Cape Breton to New York City by train. Everything is exciting to young Mayann, from the beds that fold down to the stop in Montreal to visit friends. Most exciting of all is the chance to show off her brand new purse. When the Francis family arrives in big, bustling New York City, Mayann visits with relatives, goes to the zoo, and rides the subway. She even receives a beautiful black doll, something she has never seen before. But one subway ride, she loses her beautiful purse. At first she's heartbroken, but she just might learn a lesson that makes the whole trip worthwhile"--Back cover
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
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
No Borders
"The latest in the Land is Our Storybook series focusing on life and culture in the far north. No Borders shares the life of Darla Evyagotailak, a 16 year old Inuk girl. Through Darla's life readers will get a glimpse into the intricately connected families of Inuit living in the communities of Kugluktuk, Nunavut and Ulukhaktok, NWT. Although recently divided by the border between the two territories the communities share a common ancestry and their language called Inuinnaqtun. The border is invisible to them however, and as Darla's Grandfather tells her, 'we are just like the caribou, they don't see the border and neither do we'." -- publisher
Shi-shi-etko
Shi-shi-etko, a Native American girl, spends the last four days before she goes to residential school learning valuable lessons from her mother, father, and grandmother, and creating precious memories of home.
Greetings, Leroy
"The first day at a new school is nerve-wracking enough, never mind when it's in a new country! In this lively picture book from award-winning storyteller Itah Sadu, Roy realizes he may come to love his new home in Canada as much as he loves his old home in Jamaica"--Provided by publisher
The Delta is My Home
"Tom McLeod is an eleven-year-old boy from Aklavik who is a gifted storyteller heard frequently on CBC Radio North. He is of mixed cultural heritage-Gwich'in and Inuvialuit. Tom tells us why his home in the Mackenzie Delta is a special place and why he loves to live on the land. He describes how his town floods in the spring and why he loves "ratting" (trapping muskrats) and hunting "black ducks" (white-winged and surf scoters) in the Delta. Readers will learn why these ducks are decreasing in number and how and why they are important to Tom and his people. Tom says, Northerners have always hunted animals for survival. We are careful about how we use the land. To be good hunters we need to pay attention to what is happening on the land around us-that's why it's important for us to be out there. We are the first to know if the land and animals are changing." -- publisher
Come and Learn With Me
"Nine-year-old Sheyenne lives in Sambaa K'e, Northwest Territories-that's Trout Lake in English. Come learn with her as she takes you on a journey to her community in the fall, the season of moose. This is the fourth book in the popular series "The Land Is Our Storybook" and features the Dehcho region of the Dene. "The Land Is Our Storybook" is a series of books about the lands and cultures of Canada's Northwest Territories. In the books, storytellers, elders, and cultural leaders from the ten regions in the Territories share real stories of everyday life in the North today." -- publisher
The most amazing bird
"A young girl discovers nature’s surprising beauty in this tale from a renowned Inuk storyteller. When Aggataa goes for a cold winter walk with her grandmother, she’s surprised by a sudden CRAH! All the birds have flown south for the winter except one kind—the tulugarguat, the ravens. They’re the ugliest birds that Aggaataa has ever seen. They look like they slept in their coats—coats that don’t even fit! However, as the winter slowly moves towards spring, Aggataa connects with one small raven in particular. As the seasons change in full, the ravens leave and are replaced by seagulls, cranes, geese, ducks, and swans—all of them far more elegant than the “Ugly Bird.” But where Aggataa once thought the ravens odd for visiting during the harshest part of the year, she now finds herself watching the horizon, waiting for the return of the most amazing bird." -- publisher