Indigenous History Reading List: Non-Fiction

Picture Books

Grades 2-6

Non-fiction books

Treaty Words: For As Long As the Rivers Flow, written by Aimée Craft; illustrated by Luke Swinson 

The first treaty that was made was between the earth and the sky. It was an agreement to work together. We build all of our treaties on that original treaty.

On the banks of the river that have been Mishomis’s home his whole life, he teaches his granddaughter to listen—to hear both the sounds and the silences, and so to learn her place in Creation. Most importantly, he teaches her about treaties—the bonds of reciprocity and renewal that endure for as long as the sun shines, the grass grows, and the rivers flow.

Accompanied by illustrations by Luke Swinson and an author’s note at the end, Aimée Craft communicates the importance of understanding an Indigenous perspective on treaties.

(Description from Goodreads) 

Truth and Reconciliation (Indigenous Life In Canada), written by Simon Rose

Published in 2017

Table of Contents:

1. Different Cultures

2. Residential and Day Schools

3. The School System

4. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission

5. The Commission's Work

6. The Future

Includes glossary, reading list, index.

Sharing Our Truths / Tapwe, written by Henry Beaver, Mindy Willett, Eileen Beaver; photographer Tessa MacIntosh 

Join the authors as they lead the children through important Cree cultural experiences, tell stories, and share their wisdom and truths with compassion. Learn the protocols for building a tipi, trapping a beaver, laying the grandfather stones for a fire, smudging, and harvesting salt from the Salt Plains in Wood Buffalo National Park. In Cree, tapwe means "it is so" or "the truth." In this, the ninth book in This Land is Our Storybook series, Henry writes, "We can tell you what to do with the truths we share in this book, but we hope that reading our story will help you get to know us a little better so that together we can make this nation a place we can all be proud of."

(Description from Goodreads)  

Speaking Our Truth: A Journey of Reconciliation, written by Monique Gray Smith 

Canada's relationship with its Indigenous people has suffered as a result of both the residential school system and the lack of understanding of the historical and current impact of those schools. Healing and repairing that relationship requires education, awareness and increased understanding of the legacy and the impacts still being felt by survivors and their families. Guided by acclaimed Indigenous author Monique Gray Smith, readers will learn about the lives of Survivors and listen to allies who are putting the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into action. 

(Description from Goodreads)  

As Long as the Rivers Flow, written by Larry Loyie, Constance Brissenden; illustrated by Heather D. Holmlund (Illustrator)

Winner of the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction

In the 1800s, the education of First Nations children was taken on by various churches, in government-sponsored residential schools. Children were forcibly taken from their families in order to erase their traditional languages and cultures.

As Long as the Rivers Flow is the story of Larry Loyie's last summer before entering residential school. It is a time of learning and adventure. He cares for an abandoned baby owl and watches his grandmother make winter moccasins. He helps the family prepare for a hunting and gathering trip. 

(Description from Goodreads)  

Online Resources

Canadian Museum for Human Rights

We Were Not the Savages: Residential Schools

Where Are the Children: Timeline