Review
“A story well told by a writer who artfully blends teachings about the interconnections between the land, animals, and the everyday strength of family and community relationships.” -- Jenny Kay Dupuis, co-author of I Am Not a Number
"Cooper and her world of Anishinaabe beaver clan kinship enchant and invite the reader into complex teachings about family, sharing, safety, and cooperation. An Algonquian philosophical and pedagogical text, the writing is smooth and simple, yet carriers a multitude of ancient knowledge of the Grandfather teachings. An early reader introduction, this text would do well with teaching core Indigenous values, and in a traditional way, for kids aged 2 to 11, settler or Indigenous, and in preschool and grade school classrooms. I know I'll be reading it to my daughter Rose." -- Jesse Thistle, author of From the Ashes
"Dearest Nancy, what a beautiful gift! ki miyo see chi kah now ow [you have done a sacred thing], both you and the illustrator. You have given the gift like a prayer. It is full of askiy’s [earth’s] gentleness, peace, and wise teachings. hiy hiy, maarsi, miigwetch." -- Maria Campbell, author of Halfbreed
Product Description
Busy beavers have a family reunion in this story that celebrates Indigenous perspectives
It’s a special day for Amik the beaver and her little sister, Nishiime. Their cousins are coming to visit! Amik is excited, but Nishiime feels nervous about meeting new people, and when the cousins finally arrive, Nishiime disappears.
Lively, immersive illustrations show Amik and her cousins as they search the woods for Nishiime. Each creature they encounter, introduced to readers using their Anishinaabe names, reveals how beavers help the forest community. A fish thanks them for digging canals in the mud that they swim through. A deer thanks the beavers for cutting down trees so they can reach the tastiest leaves. None of the creatures have seen Nishiime, but keen-eyed kids will have spotted her hiding in the background throughout the story.
Eventually, Nishiime returns to the group, having overcome her shyness by learning an important lesson: despite being from different places, the beavers are all united by the ways they support the forest ecosystem. With the perfect blend of fact and fun, this salute to the industrious beaver is also an energetic celebration of Indigenous perspectives, languages, and diversity.
About the Author
NANCY COOPER is from the Chippewas of Rama First Nation in southern Ontario. She grew up all over northern Ontario, and her favorite place to be is out in the forest seeing and learning new things. Nancy lives in Toronto now and loves to spend time with her twin sons, her wife, and their poodle Joy.
JOSHUA MANGESHIG PAWIS-STECKLEY is an Ojibwe woodland artist from Barrie, Ontario. He is a member of Wasauksing First Nation, and currently lives in the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-waututh peoples. When he’s not illustrating picture books, he is operating a screen-print shop and raising his baby daughter.
