• Age: 4 to 8

Canada's three most well known and respected MÚtis artists collaborate in this heart wrenching telling of what it means to be MÚtis.

Best selling, award winning MÚtis poet David Bouchard, once again makes books and culture available to all ages in The Secret of Your Name.

Bouchard's heartfelt story is illustrated by Canada's most prominent MÚtis artist Dennis Weber. Included on the accompanying CD, with reading in English/French and Michif, is the Red River Jig performed by acclaimed Master MÚtis Fiddler John Arcand.

Canada's MÚtis are the only mixed blood people in the world recognized by every level of government as being a Nation. The MÚtis have their own language, flag, songs and stories. They have exciting traditions and a proud history. Sadly, their journey was one of hardships, denial and often lies. In The Secret of Your Name, these three men open their hearts to all those who care to know what it means when it is said that we are Proud to be MÚtis!

This spectacular book will appeal to any and all who have an interest in Canada's aboriginal people. It will call out to art collectors, musicians and all who have ever pondered their own past.

British Columbia's best-selling author and most sought-after public speaker has presented to hundreds of thousands of educators, parents and students the world over. This former teacher and principal of 28 years champions literacy. His message is spelled out in his best selling books The Gift of Reading and For the Love of Reading.
"The greatest gift we can give our children is the gift of reading and there is no magic in giving it. There is no toy or program that will do the job for us. It takes time, commitment and most of all, fire. We cannot hope to light a fire in the hearts of others without a fire burning in our own. Light and stoke yours, then spread the flame fast and furious. Let literacy be your legacy."
Bouchard outlines individual roles and responsibilities in ascertaining that all children are given the gift of reading. He inspires like none other and leaves his listeners with a concrete plan and the rejuvenation needed to face literacy issues head on.
Born and raised on the Canadian prairie, the author of over twenty five best selling books now lives in British Columbia with his wife Vicki and their combined family of seven.
David Bouchard's books have won several prestigious awards, among them: the Governor General's Award for The Song Within My Heart in 2004 and the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry award for Voices From the Wild in 1997. If You're not from the Prairie is listed on MacLean's list of the Top Twenty Children's books in the history of Canada.
You can access his web page at www.davidbouchard.com.

 

David Bouchard's profile page

The fascinating story of the M�tis Nation can be told through Dennis J. Weber's ancestors. Louis Riel, his first cousin five generations removed, was a poet, visionary and a martyr. Dennis is one of Canada's foremost M�tis artists. When he's not painting, teaching, searching for artifact, photographing reference material or exhibiting his art, Dennis sits on the board of Kelowna's M�tis Children and Family Services.

Dennis Weber's profile page

John Arcand the undisputed "Master of the Métis Fiddle" has made fifteen recordings to date and still plays and records the Traditional Métis tunes of his Father and Grandfather as well as those he continues to research, learn and pass on. John has been honoured with numerous awards the most recent being the Order of Canada. He currently lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

John Arcand's profile page

"In English and Michif, Bouchard, whose grandmothers were Anishnaabe, Chippewa, Menominee and Innu, honours those 'Kokums, ' of whom he is so proud. . . Dennis Weber's wonderfully textured paintings add further luminescence to an emotionally powerful book."
— The Globe and Mail

"The use of language is beautiful and poetic, drawing in the reader with its rhythms and patterns into a very intimate and moving story. There is something very haunting throughout, a sense of longing and awakening that eventually gives rise to understanding, transformation of self, and the embracing of that new self. Though the story may be challenging to some younger readers, the text is simple and the illustrations provide fabulous details. Weber's oil paintings are gorgeous, reflecting the sense of loss, longing, and searching that the author experiences. Perhaps the best of these paintings is also the book's cover - the author peers into a hollowed-out log in which water has collected and sees the reflection of an ancestor he'd never before known."
Rating: E - Excellent
— Resource Links

"The paintings paired with Bouchard's text on each page trace the history of the Métis people and their traditions. Combined with Arcand's music, The Secret of Your Name serves as a much-needed multimedia resource for middle grade to young adult readers looking to learn more about the history and future of Métis culture."
— Canadian Bookseller

"In The Secret of Your Name, David Bouchard - prolific author, literacy advocate, and Member of the Order of Canada - delivers a succinct but powerful account of personal discovery. . . The Secret of Your Name is a must-have title for Canadiana and Aboriginal collections, Métis communities and families, and libraries providing support for Aboriginal curricula at all academic levels."
— Quill & Quire

"David Bouchard's latest book, The Secret of Your Name, is a proud declaration of his Métis heritage and, at the same time, a humble apology to his forebears for not rejoicing in his heritage earlier. . . In many respects, Bouchard's poetic text is deeply personal and intimate. Bouchard's revelation of the discovery of his Métis culture, his pride in that identity, but his simultaneous regret that it was suppressed for so long is, on one level, a complex, sophisticated text that will demand maturity of his readers. Yet, Bouchard's word choices and Weber's artwork assist the reader in navigating what might otherwise be a puzzling journey. . . Weber's realistic, full colour paintings supplement Bouchard's words, adding an extra dimension to the feelings Bouchard is trying to express. . . The Secret of Your Name will especially appeal to people with Métis heritage. The book, however, offers an interesting insight into Canada and her history and so is likely to appeal to many people regardless of Métis links."
Recommended.
— CM Magazine

"I absolutely love the books by Red Deer Press. While they are mainly aimed at children, these books are consistently beautifully illustrated and incredibly informative - always of the highest quality and The Secret of your Name is no exception. This hardcover book actually comes with a CD - and takes an in-depth look at our heritage, mainly exploring the world of the Métis. . . What a beautiful book."
— bookshipper.blogspot.com

The Secret of Your Name

music by John Arcand

In the forward to this story, David Bouchard speaks of Canada’s Métis, “the only mixed blood people in the world recognized… as being a nation.” He has discovered that his grandmothers were Anishnaabe, Chippewa, Menominee and Innu and is proud to call himself Métis. His story, again told in four-line stanzas, is part memory, part regret, part hope for the future of their traditional stories, songs and ways of living. “The secret of your name is out / I finally know my heritage / It has taken almost fifty years / To come to learn of you.” He vows to remember and honour his Métis heritage. There is also a brief history of the Métis nation and descriptions of the different First Nations people. The text is bilingual again, in English (or French) and Michif, the Métis language.

A talented Métis artist, Dennis Weber’s paintings extend the text by imagining the past — the events and people of the different First Nations groups who are the author’s ancestors. They are done in muted tones, soft and flat and conveying an intimacy among land, people and reader.

The book includes a CD with a reading of the story in English by Bouchard and in Michif by Norman Fleury. Bouchard also plays the flute and there is lively fiddle music by John Arcand.