Shin-chi's Canoe

XX min read

Author(s)	Nicola I. Campbell
Illustrator(s)	Kim LaFave
Age Group	6-10
Publisher	Groundwood Books
ISBN	978-0888998576
Year	2008

When Shi-shi-etko and Shin-chi arrive at the Indian Residential School, Shi-shi-etko reminds her younger brother that they can only use their English names and that they are not allowed to speak to each other. For Shin-chi, life becomes an endless cycle of church mass, school and work, punctuated by skimpy meals. He finds solace at the river, clutching a tiny cedar canoe, a gift from his father, and dreaming of the day when the salmon return to the river—a sign that it’s almost time to return home. This poignant story about a devastating chapter in Native American history is told at a child’s level of understanding.

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