kekwan etakwak mîkisîhk?/ What’s in a Bead?

Illustrated By: Tessa Pizzale
Translated by: Duane Linklater,

Tessa loves how her grandmother always smells of campfire stories. Mom says it’s because Kohkom spends her days sewing beautiful beads onto smoked hides. Inspired, Tessa asks Kohkom to teach her beading, but first she must listen and learn the many stories held in a bead. Dual language edition in Ininîmowin (Cree N-dialect) and English.

What's in a Bead?

Illustrated By: Tessa Pizzale

Tessa loves how her grandmother always smells of campfire stories. Mom says it’s because Kohkom spends her days sewing beautiful beads onto smoked hides. Inspired, Tessa asks Kohkom to teach her beading, but first she must listen and learn about the many stories held in a bead.

Charlie's Balloons

Illustrated By: Élodie Duhameau
Translated by: Arielle Aaronson

Hi! I’m Charlie.
In my mind and in my body, all my emotions fight to take up as much space as they can.
I like to picture my feelings as balloons. Sometimes they’re so light they float away.
Other times, they’re so heavy it’s like they’re filled with water...
For highly sensitive kids who feel BIG feelings!

Khadija and the Elephant Toothpaste Experiment

Illustrated By: Natalya Tariq

Khadija is inspired by her visit to the science fair. But how come none of the scientists are wearing a hijab, she wonders? Khadija recreates an experiment at home with mixed (and messy!) results. Surrounded by family as they celebrate Eid, Khadija tries again, with great success. She declares, “When I grow up, I’m going to be a scientist!”

Nights Too Short to Dance

René, a trans man, confronts age and illness on a winter’s night. Charismatic as ever, he is surrounded by friends and lovers. They look back over a century of struggle—Stonewall, the AIDS epidemic—and realize it’s not over. But neither is the love. Blais, a queer literary icon, brings to life pivotal moments in the fight for queer rights.

Pride and Persistence

The activists between these pages have stood up for the queer community, whether on their own behalf or in support of people they love. Some made a difference by confronting injustice; others dared to be fully themselves.

Naaahsa is an Artist!

Naaahsa says art is a language everyone understands. Sometimes we make art together. We draw, we bead, we sing. Sometimes Naaahsa tells stories in Blackfoot. I even get to go with her to see her art show at the National Gallery. Naaahsa is famous for her art, but I love her hugs best.

Auntie's Rez Surprise

Illustrated By: Ellie Arscott

Auntie always greets Cree in Nehiyaw when she comes for a visit. When Auntie arrives with a surprise gift hidden in her bag, Cree can’t wait to discover what it is. The first clue? It’s from the rez. As Cree tries to figure out what it might be, the bag starts to move. Cree is thrilled when the bag opens and out jumps a rez puppy!

Everyone is Welcome

Illustrated By: Christine Wei

A little girl hears that her grandma’s friend, Mrs. Lee, was pushed on her way to the Asian market. When she learns that Asian students at her brother’s school are afraid to walk to class, she realizes something very wrong is happening to her community. With her mom’s support and the help of friends, she does something kind for Mrs. Lee.

She's a Mensch!

From the poorest neighborhoods in Kenya to the halls of the Canadian Supreme Court, the Jewish women found in these pages have accomplished remarkable feats. Some survived the horrors of the Holocaust while others had more peaceful childhoods, but all of them saw unfairness in their world and decided to do something about it.

World Shakers

What does it take to change the world? Whether it was the rule that forced Muslim women athletes like Ibtihaj Muhammad to choose between competition and wearing hijab or Indigenous women like Mary Two-Axe Earley to lose their official Indigenous status when they married white men, these women made change happen.

Vee in Between

Illustrated By: Angela Poon

When Vee was nine months old, her parents flew to China to adopt her. But when she struggles to keep up in Chinese dance class and a woman at the grocery store makes Vee feel like she doesn’t belong, her white parents don’t always understand.

The Journal of Anxious Izzy Parker

Eight-year-old Izzy Parker’s biggest problem is feeling anxious and afraid. Her mom’s decision to move them across the country to Prince Edward Island didn’t help.

In her honest, awkward, and anxious journal, Izzy writes down the story of her life and how she is trying to be a little less afraid.

I Am BIG

Illustrated By: Marley Berot

In the middle of the ice, a young Black hockey player finds joy in his talent and confidence in the cheers of his family, his coach, and the other players. Their support gives him the power to face down those who see him as a threat and to focus on the thrill of the game.

What Does Hate Look Like?

How do we talk about hate that hurts? Real kids from real classrooms share their stories to help us to see the bias, prejudice, violence, discrimination, and exclusion around us—what hate looks like to them. Why? So we can stand against hate and never be the cause of it. And to show us how to cope and get support if we have been hurt.

More Than a Footnote

From a cellist to a computer scientist, an oncologist to an explorer, More Than a Footnote profiles women in history who made a difference despite being excluded and overlooked.