SkySisters
by Jan Bourdeau Waboose & Brian Deines
Description:
Publisher's description (Kids Can Press, 2000):
Two Ojibway sisters set off across the frozen north country to see the SkySpirits midnight dance. It isn't easy for the younger sister to be silent, but gradually she begins to treasure the stillness and the wonderful experiences it brings. After an exhilarating walk and patient waiting, the girls are rewarded by the arrival of the SkySpirits - the Northern Lights - dancing and shimmering in the night sky. This powerful story, with its stunning illustrations, captures the chill of a northern night, the warmth of the family circle and the radiance of a child's wonder. Jan Bourdeau Waboose is Ojibway.
Author biography (Kids Can Press):
Jan Bourdeau Waboose is a Nishnawbe Ojibway from Northern Ontario who based SkySisters on her own childhood experiences and her relationship with her older sister.
In her writing, she tries to convey the Indigenous life she sees in her family, friends and community – a larger, fuller picture than the stereotypes prevalent in North American society, she says.
In the late 1960s, Jan began a long-term relationship with the Indian Bands of Ontario, working with them for ten years and eventually heading their child welfare program. Her interest in writing developed in tandem with this organizational work. She has written for many Indigenous magazines and newspapers on issues connected with child welfare. She has also tried to correct inaccurate media portrayals of Indigenous people and Indigenous life. And she has written personal material – stories and poems – which now, increasingly, are being published.
Resource format: Picturebook
Age recommendation: Kindergarten - Grade 3
Keywords: Ojibway, northern lights, family circle, childhood, wonder, kinship, Aurora Borealis, parka, SkySpirits, siblings, sisters, lead, follow, rabbit, deer, coyote, howl, winter, winter clothing, play, dance, frolic, snow angels, relatives, tradition, sibling rivalry, pronunciation guide, adventure, climb
Year of publication: 2000
Publisher information: Kids Can Press
Teaching and Learning Ideas
Our team collaborated with new teachers, alumni of the Werklund School of Education’s Bachelor of Education program, to create teaching and learning plans for texts in this website. With audiences ranging from Pre-Kindergarten to Post-Secondary, lesson plans across this resource address a wide range of school subject areas, inclusive approaches, and Indigenous education topics, such as the revitalization of Indigenous languages. As this website was designed with Undergraduate Programs in Education instructors, as well as teachers in mind, connections to UPE courses have been flagged on each lesson plan. These lessons are intended as a starting place for educators, to help you envision ways in which you might bring Indigenous literatures, as well as ways of knowing, being, and doing, into your teaching contexts. Please adapt, use, and share these lessons in ways that are generative for your teaching practice. We offer our sincere thanks to the dozens of new teachers who gifted us with these creative ideas!
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