We Are All Connected: Inuit, Tundra and Ravens

Publisher's Description (Strong Nations): “We Are All Connected” is a series that explores how we all live together in a shared balance upon Mother Earth. Each book explores a specific ecosystem with a focus on one animal and its adaptations for survival within that ecosystem. Indigenous interviewees, each living within the same area, have responded to strategic questions as to how their community interacts with the land, their traditional territory. Explore each text with a sense of inquiry in mind.

8 We Are All Connected Titles: Coast Salish, Coastal Rainforests and Cougars Haisla, Rivers and Chinook Salmon Inuit, Tundra and Ravens Lakota, Mixed Grasslands and Bald Eagles Métis, Wetlands and Mallards Nisga'a, Ponds and Leopard Frogs Nlaka'pamux, Grasslands and Rattlesnakes Sto:lo, Riparian Forests and Black Bears Each title covers the following curricular areas. Traditional storytelling and artwork begin each title from the focus Indigenous territory. Science: Biodiversity, classification, life cycles, food chains, food webs and connections between living and non-living things are just some of the science concepts included in each book. Social Studies: Contemporary and historical Indigenous cultural knowledge flows throughout each book. Local land forms, gatherings, harvesting practices and government are some of the social studies concepts included in each book.

Creator Biographies (Strong Nations):
Michael Kusugak is Inuit and was riased in Nunavut. "I’ve always been close to the land, the sea and the animals,” he says. “I want to teach everything I know about how to live here, and write about everything kids like to do." During his childhood, Michael’s family traveled by dog team; they lived in igloos in the winter and tents in the summer. He had no access to books as a child, and didn't speak a word of English until he was seven. “Every night, my grandma would tell us a story to put us to sleep,” he recalls. In 1954, a float plane whisked Michael off to a residential school in Chesterfield Inlet. Michael went on to become one of the first Inuit from the eastern Arctic to graduate from high school, piecing together his education in Rankin Inlet, Yellowknife, Churchill and Saskatoon. Michael has since published many other titles, including Baseball Bats for Christmas, Hide and Sneak, Northern Lights: The Soccer Trails, My Arctic 1,2,3, Arctic Stories and Who Wants Rocks?— all of which are stunningly complemented by Vladyana Langer Krykorka's artwork. Northern Lights won the Ruth Schwartz Award in 1994. A Promise is a Promise and Northern Lights have been developed as CD-ROMs.

Terri Mack, Kay Kwee Kway Kwa, is Da’naxda’xw Awaetlala on her late mother’s side and Hungarian on her late father’s side. Terri worked for twenty years in the education system as an Aboriginal Education Assistant, School District Aboriginal Resource Coordinator, and Community Literacy Coordinator for Stz’uminus First Nation. Terri was the co-founder of Strong Nations Publishing and has edited and authored many books for young readers. Brenda Boreham has over 30 years of classroom experience. She presents workshops of literature-based themes and literacy strategies and has written a number of resources for teachers. She is also an author of children's books and an artist.

Resource type: Other non-fiction, book (fiction/ poetry), teaching materials

Age recommendation: Grades 4-6

Keywords: Inuit, tundra, Ravens, Nunavut, qulliq, sea, umiaq, kayak, narwhal, migrate, geese, omnivore, vertebrates, mammals, appearance, food, sustenance, food chain, food web, life cycle, habitat, tree, plant, territory, languages, governmental structure, human activity, connected, ecosystem, biome, predators, predator, prey, scavenge, territory, Indigenous Stories, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Peoples in Canada, Non-Fiction, Canadian Wildlife, Science and Technology, Environment, Plants and Animals, Ecosystem, Life Cycles, We Are All Connected Series, incubate, birds, eggs, consumer, producer, carrion, migrate, food cache, airat, siirat, stars, neap tide, storytelling, Inuktitut

Year of publication: 2017

Publisher information: Strong Nations