Description
Book SynopsisWinner of the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction
From the mid-1800s to the late 1990s, the education of Indigenous children was taken on by various churches in government-sponsored residential schools. More than 150,000 children were forcibly taken from their families in order to erase their traditional languages and cultures.
As Long as the Rivers Flowis the story of Larry Loyie's last traditional summer before entering residential school. It is a time of adventure and learning from his Elders. He cares for an abandoned baby owl, watches his kokom (grandmother) make winter moccasins, and helps his family prepare for summer camp, where he will pick berries, fish and swim. While searching for medicine plants in the bush with Kokom, he encounters a giant grizzly bear. Gently but truthfully written, the book captivates its readers and reveals a hidden history.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English
Trade Review
A haunting combination of art, story and document. * Toronto Star *
Holmlund's realistic and detailed watercolors expertly illuminate events throughout the story, in vignettes, plates, and a few full-page pictures. * School Library Journal *
Loyie's quite words and Holmlund's authentic watercolor art capture the happy wilderness home... * Booklist *
