Recently immigrated from India, Gita is looking forward to celebrating her favorite holiday, Divali, a festival of lights, but things are so different in her new home that she wonders if she will ever adjust.
As a young First Nations, Cree Indian boy prepares for his first powwow, he learns from his grandmother that he has to create stories and songs to prepare for his own upcoming pow-wow. She guides him through the events of the day and helps him to understand that the stories, songs, and beating heart are his to own and are things unique to each individual. These are the kinds of things that hold value and importance beyond materialistic things.
Tells the story of Viola Desmond, an African Canadian woman who, in 1946, challenged a Nova Scotia movie theater's segregation policy by refusing to move from her seat to an upstairs section designated for use by blacks.
"When a young girl visits the site of Africville, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the stories she's heard from her family come to mind. She imagines what the community was once like--the brightly painted houses nestled into the hillside, the field where boys played football, the pond where all the kids went rafting, the bountiful fishing, the huge bonfires"--|cProvided by publisher
"A long time ago, the Great Spirit created all of the sky and stars but it wasn't enough. He then made a beautiful place called Minegoo, a place so beautiful that He almost placed it among the stars. He decided that instead, he would place Minegoo in the most beautiful spot on earth. He summoned Kluskap and asked him to find this spot. After searching the whole world, Kluscap found the Shining Waters, the spot in the Gulf of St. Lawrence that would be home to the Mi'kmaq people created in his own image."-- |cProvided by publisher
It is winter and the people are starving. There are no fish. They must seek the help of a medicine man to save them. The Old Man with the Otter Medicine tells of medicine power, the struggle for survival and an important part of the history and culture of the Dene people as it has been passed down through stories and legends for generations. --publisher
"Chi's momma is soon to have a baby, but Chi' is having a hard time being happy about it. Chi' misses her Temma (Grandma), who has passed away."--Back cover
Robert, a young man with HIV, returns to his Native community to attend a gathering and to speak to his people about his disease. The two children in the story learn about traditional Native culture while they learn about Robert's disease.
One day, Grandma Lucee enters shy Jenneli into a jigging contest at the Lakeside Fair. Jenneli is scared and excited, but with Grandma Lucee's encouragement, love and support, Jenneli places her self-doubts and fears aside to dance in the contest.
"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.