Children's Nonfiction Native Canadian
We Feel Good Out Here
- Publisher
- Fifth House Books
- Initial publish date
- Apr 2008
- Category
- Native Canadian
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9781897252338
- Publish Date
- Apr 2008
- List Price
- $16.95
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Where to buy it
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Grade: 4 to 7
Description
Julie-Ann Andre is a Gwichya Gwich'in from Tsiigehtchic in the Northwest Territories. She is a Canadian Ranger, a mother of twin daughters, a hunter, a trapper, and a student.
In We Feel Good Out Here, Julie-Ann shares her family's story and the story of her land Khaii luk, the place of winter fish. As Julie-Ann says, "The land has a story to tell, if you know how to listen. When I travel, the land tells me where my ancestors have been. It tells me where the animals have come and gone, and it tells me what the weather may be like tomorrow."
Her home is an important part of who Julie-Ann is. She wants to help make sure that her environment is healthy, so it can continue to tell its story to her children and their children.
About the authors
Julie-Ann Andre is a Gwichya Gwich'in from Tsiigehtchic in the Northwest Territories. She is a Canadian Ranger, a mother of twin daughters, a hunter, a trapper, and a student.
Julie-Ann Andre's profile page
Mindy Willett lives in Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories. She is a teacher at heart although no longer in the classroom. She first came north to Rankin Inlet, Nunavut in 1987 and most recently taught in Kugluktuk, Nunavut from 1996 to 2000. Mindy stopped being a classroom teacher when she had her son Jack. To remain home as much as possible, she started her own home-based business, writing educational materials.
"Tessa Macintosh is an award-winning northern photographer who raised her family in Yellowknife. In 35 years she has been fortunate to photograph many wonderful northerners and fantastic places across the North. Her photos illustrate the 7 other books in The Land is Our Storybook series, and her work is included in Canadian Shield (2011). She has fond memories of previous visits to Great Bear Lake, beginning 30 years ago, toddler in tow, to photograph Elders making snowshoes."
Editorial Reviews
"A valuable introduction to an endangered culture."
— Booklist
"These are positive portraits of northern family life and of child life, cheerful and appealing as well as educational."
— The Toronto Star
"Replete with sharp and attractive full-color photographs. . . These titles provide some useful information for reports and are interesting additions for general reading."
— School Library Journal
"Macintosh's photographs capture the two-world balance of Julie-anne and her family. . . Along with the words of the author and her partners, the luminous and lively photos invite the child reader into the wondrous northern world of today. . . This is an exciting series for helping children, especially those outside the Northwest Territories, appreciate the day-to-day world of their peers."
— Canadian Children's Book News
"(We Feel Good Out Here) feature a satisfying mix of old and new - traditional and contemporary - in the photographs and text. . . What both photos and text do very well is establish the strong connection between the people in the books and the land upon which they live."
Recommended"
— CM Magazine
"Part of the vibrant The Land is Our Storybook series about the diverse lands and cultures of Canada's Northwest Territories, We Feel Good Out Here inspires, educates and raises consciousness in an appealing text and photo format. Willett, Andr� and Macintosh's book is a great precursor to Andr�'s career in cultural tourism. It's also a wonderful contribution to First Nations literature for children."
— Papertigers.org
Librarian Reviews
We Feel Good Out Here: Zhik gwaa’an, nakhwatth tat gwıınzìı
This non-fiction book tells about the life of author Julie-Ann André who is a Gwichya Gwich’in woman from the Northwest Territories. The book intersperses personal stories of her life in the North with information about the Gwichya Gwich’in people, their stories and legends, modern and traditional life for Julie-Ann and her family, and even some words in Gwich’in language. The use of photographs rather than drawings to illustrate most of the book makes it more realistic in its depiction of life for modern northern Aboriginal people. Also includes an ‘All the Details’ section rather than a glossary.This title is part of the The Land is our Storybook series.
Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. Canadian Aboriginal Books for Schools. 2008-2009.
We Feel Good Out Here / Zhik gwaa’an, nakhwatthaiitat gwiinzii (This Land is Our Storybook)
Julie-Anne André’s stories in We Feel Good Out Here give voice to a Gwichya Gwich’in woman’s experiences: a quietly determined and strong voice. She shares with writer Willet how, after residential schooling, she had to reclaim her knowledge of “boating, travelling, trapping, fishing, hunting, surviving and enjoying what the land provides.” She decided to bring her family “along with me on the journey.” When Julie-Anne is not in school studying management in Inuvik, the family goes snowshoeing or skidooing at their winter camp. Julie-Anne admits that, at first, her young daughters are bored in the TV-less tent, but by the end of the hunting and trapping period they don’t want to leave.Macintosh’s photographs capture the two-world balance of Julie-Anne and her family. At the camp, a photograph is warmed with golden, dancing firelight against violet skies and ground covered with deep, white-mauve snow. In town, Macintosh snaps the girls with two of the snazziest smiles that ever splashed at the Inuvik Family Centre pool. Along with the words of the author and her partners, the luminous and lively photos invite the child reader into the wondrous northern world of today.
Both of The Land is Our Storybook titles contain a few words from the cultures on which they focus: Inuvialuit and Gwich’in for The Delta is My Home, and Gwichya Gwich’in for We Feel Good Out Here. Maps situate readers and a section called “All the Details!” explains about types of ducks and how the Inuvialuit inhabit the western Canadian Arctic. Creative thought has gone into the production: for example, the multi-coloured Delta Braid pattern, symbolic of cultural mix, decorates the page borders. The only missing feature seems to be an index that would have made these books even more useful for project researchers. This is an exciting series for helping children, especially those outside the Northwest Territories, appreciate the day-to-day lives of their peers.
Source: The Canadian Children's Bookcentre. Summer 2008. Vol.31 No.3.
We Feel Good Out Here (Land Is Our Storybook)
Julie-Ann André shares her family’s story and the story of her land — Khaii Luk — the place of winter fish. She wants to ensure that her environment is healthy, so it can continue to tell its story for generations to come. The text is supplemented by photographs and a detailed glossary.Source: The Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Best Books for Kids & Teens. 2009.
Other titles by
Other titles by
Sharing Our Truths
Tapwe
Au coeur de nos croyances
No Borders
Kigliqangittuq
Fiers d'etre Innvialuits
Le caribou nourrit notre �me
The Caribou Feed Our Soul (French)
Viens avec moi
nous apprendrons ensemble!
Nos histoires sont vivantes
At the Heart of It
Dene dzó t?áré
Comme on se sent bien ici!
Le delta, c'est mon chez moi
Other titles by
Sharing Our Truths
Tapwe
Au coeur de nos croyances
No Borders
Kigliqangittuq
Fiers d'etre Innvialuits
Le caribou nourrit notre �me
The Caribou Feed Our Soul (French)
Viens avec moi
nous apprendrons ensemble!
Nos histoires sont vivantes
At the Heart of It
Dene dzó t?áré
Comme on se sent bien ici!