Amik Loves School

This is a good, simple, introduction to the idea of the residency schools, and should probably be followed up with something that is a little more detailed. The history of the Residential Schools is a dark mark on Canadian History, but it needs to be told. The youth of today need to know that this happened and our government needs to continue to work toward reconciliation with the Native Canadians.

Amik loves school and shares this with his grandfather. When he discovers that his grandfather did not like his school, he asks why. Grandfather tells him very briefly about the residential school he lived in. He does not give a lot of detail about the horrors that many children experienced while at residential schools. Amik comes up with an idea to share how different his school is from the one his grandfather went to. He invites him to spend time with him at school and shows how the language of his people are taught at the school, and his heritage is now respected. They even smudge the room every morning, just as they do at home. His grandfather is happy that this school is not like the one he endured. The illustrations are well done and very respectful to the culture.

This is one of seven books that teach about the "Seven Teachings of the Anishinaabe—love, wisdom, humility, courage, respect, honesty, and truth." I am looking forward to reading the other six in this series.

The residency schools are a dark mark left on a he indigenous peoples of Canada who survived them. But that isn't quite what this picture book is about and Amik only knows that he loves his school.

When he discovers that his grandfather did not like his school, he feels he has to share how different schools are now. He shows how the language of his people are taught at the school, and his heritage is now respected. They even smudge the room every morning, just as they do at home.

His grandfather is happy that this school is not like the one he endured.

Not as striking as some of the other picture books that have tried to explain the residency schools to school age children, it does not tell of the horrors that the children endured, but perhaps that is ok. It does let Amik know that things used to be much worse, and now they are better.

This is a good, simple, introduction to the idea of the residency schools, and should probably be followed up with some of the excellent picture books out there that do go more into this, such as "when we were alone" and "I am not a number" both of which either chronicle real relatives stories of being in the residency schools. Those are the only two I know of, and it this one makes three. There should be more books out there.

Just as there are books of the holocaust, and of the Japanese Internment, there needs to be books that chronicle what happened, so the children, and grandchildren can understand and make sure it doesn't happen again.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

In awe of this gem! Beyond the importance of teaching about the horror of residential schools, this was an insightful children's story. Katherena Vermette just continues to impress!

It was pure fandom that turned me onto these delightful readers. While browsing Netgalley, I discovered a title, Amik Loves School, by Katherena Vermette. Having recently finished her brilliant adult novel, The Break, I was keen to see what she would do with a picture book for kids. I read it on my ipad, but in the midst of my hectic life, forgot about it until I got a message on Netgalley. Alas the title had expired from my device. Luckily, our local library has copies so I put one on reserve.

When It arrived, I was enchanted. I reread it and discovered it was part of a series called The Seven Teachings Stories. I wondered about the rest of them and discovered they were available at a library near me. I headed off and found four of the series on the shelf where they all should have been. Owls bowels!* though, two of the books were not there. A librarian was able to find one of them, but no matter where we looked, we couldn't find the last in the series. We went through the children's indigenous collection and had a thoughtful discussion about what they needed to weed.

Once at home I sat down and started reading and making notes. I ended up having to babysit a fussy baby and when I calmed her down, read the rest of them to her. (She really is becoming a reader and happily sat in my arms while I shared them with her.)

You are probably wondering if I will ever get to talking about the books. I promise to start now.

The books show indigenous children in an urban setting, living ordinary lives. Each book highlights a specific sacred teaching of the Anishinaabe. The different characters are named after the animal that represents each teaching. Listen to Katherena Vermette below to learn more about that.

The children's lives are connected through their culture, their school, their teacher, Mr Bee, and their cultural leader, Betsy. All of the books highlight the Anishinaabemowin language and even include a pronunciation guide at the end. They are stories about community, family, and friendship against a backdrop of Anishinaabe culture. The characters are surrounded by loving parents, grandparents, and other caring adults. The series is created for readers aged 5-10.

In The Just Right Gift, a Story of Love, Migizi searches for the ideal gift for his Gookom. The First Day, A Story of Courage, introduces us to Makwa as he goes to a new school. In Misaabe's Stories: A Story of Honesty, Misaabe learns that telling his own stories is enough. In Kode's Questions, Mashkode-Bizhiki (Kode) asks all the important people in her life about respect. In What is Truth, Betsy?, Miskwaadesi comes to understand her own truth in relation to her culture, family and friends. Amik Loves School: A story of wisdom, introduces children to the idea of residential schools. Singing Sisters: A Story of Humility, is the one book I couldn't find. I was able to preview it at the Portage and Main Press website. A young singer, Ma’iingan, has to come to grips with her younger sister also being a singer.

Irene Kuziw's realistic coloured pencil illustrations are soft and gentle, adding a welcoming warmth to the stories themselves.
These are books that belong in every school library since their messages are important for all children. A teachers guide available if you want one.

*This expletive comes from Miss Ellicott's School for the Magically Minded by Sage Blackwood.

A touching story about the bond between a boy and his grandfather. The contrast between their experiences of school was informative and sentimental, and the grandfather's response to seeing Anishinaabe culture validated at Amik's school was heartwarming. The illustrations are lovely.