• Age: 8 to 12
• Grade: 4

Canada's Aboriginal peoples have shaped this country in countless ways. Their story is central to the nation's identity -- indeed, the word "Canada" is derived from the Huron-Haudenosaunee word "kanata," which means "our village." This title in the acclaimed Kids Book of series is a balanced, in-depth look at the cultures, struggles and triumphs of Canada's first peoples. Exhaustively researched and reviewed by specialists in the field, this groundbreaking book is by far the most comprehensive of its kind. The detailed illustrations based on museum artifacts, written records of long ago and contemporary scholarship help bring the traditional ways to life for young readers.

Diane Silvey graduated from the University of British Columbia`s Native Indian Teacher Education Program and taught in band schools for 21 years. She is the author of two picture books, two novels and a textbook, From Time Immemorial. The winner of a B.C. Book Award in 2000 and a Women of Distinction Award in Education, Training and Development, Diane is a member of the Sechelt Band (Coast Salish).

Diane Silvey's profile page

John Mantha is a Toronto-based artist and illustrator. Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, he graduated with honours from the Ontario College of Art. John is the illustrator of twenty-six books including The Kids Book of Canada's Railway and The Kids Book of Canadian Exploration.

John Mantha's profile page

• Short-listed, Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Book Prize

Silvey’s text is lively and easily navigated and is complemented by excellent and judiciously placed maps and illustrations of aboriginal life in all its variety and manifestations.

Silvey’s text is lively and easily navigated and is complemented by excellent and judiciously placed maps and illustrations of aboriginal life in all its variety and manifestations.

The Kids Book of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada

This copiously illustrated book is a cultural overview of the seven major Aboriginal groups in Canada: the Northwest Coast, Plateau, Plains, Arctic, Subarctic, Eastern Woodlands Iroquoians and the Eastern Woodland AlgoTopics include ceremonies, food, clothing, trade, religious beliefs and shelter. Silvey shows what life was like both before and during the time of European contact. Sidebars provide information on famous Aboriginal Canadians. Colour maps, cross-sections and diagrams enhance the text.

This book was nominated for a BC Book Prize in 2006. Silvey’s previous books include Raven’s Flight and From Time Immemorial. The Kids Book of series includes books on Canadian History, Prime Ministers and The Kids Book of the Far North, which is included in this catalogue.

The Kids Book of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada

This is a well-researched information book on each of the seven main cultural Aboriginal groups in Canada. Beginning in the West with the peoples of the Northwest Coast, each chapter describes traditional lifestyles, including facts about food sources, clothing, housing, tools, art and ceremonies. The final chapter discusses how contact with the explorers had a dramatic effect on Aboriginal cultures. The book ends noting the advances of self-government and land claim settlements. Profiles of noteworthy Aboriginal leaders are scattered throughout this chapter.

Silvey is a member of the Sechelt (Coast Salish) band and a BC educator. She wrote Raven’s Flight and Spirit Quest. Mantha illustrated The Kids Book of Canadian Explorers and The Kids Book of Railways.

The Kids Book of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada

Kids Can Press continues its series of books on Canadian history and culture with this excellent book on Aboriginal people. Written by Native educator and writer Diane Silvey, the book is a sensitive and informative look at Native life and culture, both past and present. The book begins with a brief introduction to Aboriginal life and values. Each of the seven major groups is then covered in detail (Northwest Coast, Plateau, Plains, Arctic, Subarctic, Woodland Iroquois and Woodland Algonquian). Each section focuses on the important elements of that group. In the section on the Northwest Coast, for example, there is a full page on the cedar tree, the “tree of life” for the coastal people. For the Plains people, there is a double-page spread on the buffalo hunt and the many uses the people made of the buffalo for food, clothing and shelter. For every group, the author discusses the link between the environment in which the people lived and their life and culture, an important focus of the curriculum.

After looking at each major group, the book begins a section on the life of the people after European contact. We meet various explorers and missionaries and get a glimpse into some of the more problematic areas of Native life, both in the past and today. There is a section on residential schools and the devastation of Native culture. However, the final section of the book strikes a positive note, profiling some contemporary Native leaders who are working hard to improve life for Native Canadians. This book does something that most books on this topic don’t do – it provides a comprehensive examination of all those things that students usually learn about Aboriginal people and their traditional ways of life, along with a discussion of some of the issues confronting those people in our modern society. John Mantha, who has done the illustrations for many of the books in this series, does a fine job of presenting and extending the written information. There is a table of contents and an extensive index.

The Kids Book of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada (Kids Book of…)

How did Canada’s first peoples live before contact with the Europeans? Detailed illustrations enhance this comprehensive look at their cultures, trials and tribulations, from past to present.