Children's Fiction Native Canadian
Lillian and Kokomis
The Spirit of Dance
- Publisher
- Durvile Publications
- Initial publish date
- Mar 2019
- Category
- Native Canadian
- Recommended Age
- 7 to 12
- Recommended Grade
- 2 to 7
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781988824277
- Publish Date
- Mar 2019
- List Price
- $17.95
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
Lillian & Kokomis is the second book in the UpRoute Indigenous Spirit of Nature Series. Lillian is a girl of mixed Indigenous and white ancestry who has been shuffled from foster home to foster home as long as she can remember. At school, she doesn’t feel like she fits in with the white kids and doesn’t fit in with the Indigenous kids either. She finds happiness and a sense of belonging from a surprising spirit that returns her to traditional ways.
About the authors
Lynda Partridge is a member of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation. She grew up in the child welfare system and spent her childhood in numerous non-Indigenous foster homes. At a later age, she obtained an Honours Bachelor of Social Work (Native Human Services), followed by a Masters of Social Work Degree. It was while obtaining her undergraduate degree that she found her birth family and reconnected to her Indigenous culture. This experience led her to the field of Indigenous child welfare.
Awards
- Winner, Children's and Young Adult Book Category, Book Publishers of Alberta
Excerpt: Lillian and Kokomis: The Spirit of Dance (by (author) Lynda Partridge; by (artist) Dave Nicholson; foreword by Chief Stacey Laforme)
On her first day at her new school, even though Lillian was on her best behaviour, kids made fun of her at recess. Somehow they knew she was a ‘foster kid’.“Hey kid. Nobody loves you. You’re a foster kid,” someone yelled at her. “Hey kid, your family doesn’t even want you,” said another. The insults kept coming. “Hey Kid, Where’d you get those dumb-looking glasses.” growled one boy. “Who do you think you are? You’re so skinny and poor. You got no food?” said a girl dressed in trendy clothes. “Who dressed you this morning? You look like a reject.” They made fun of her looks too. They said her blood was mixed up and didn’t know what it was. They said she didn’t belong at their school. Lillian kept her eyes to the ground when the kids were saying this. She didn’t tell the teachers because she knew it would only make it worse for her. She just put all the hurt inside the special spot in the back of her mind that she kept for the hurts in her life and pretended that none of it bothered her. Oh jeez, here we go again. She muttered to herself. I’m going to end up punching these guys right in the face. They’d better leave me alone. “Get away from me you dummies. You don’t know anything. Leave me alone or I’ll punch your lights out.” Lillian cried out at them when they wouldn’t leave her alone. “Don’t tell the teachers either, I’ll still punch your lights out.” Lillian ran to the school doors and waited for the recess bell to ring.
Editorial Reviews
"Reading the first few pages of Lillian and Kokomis was very difficult and emotional for me. l had to put the booklet down several times knowing that so many First Nation children have gone through the same painful emotions of hurt, of loss and a sense of not belonging. Lynda Partridge also paints a picture of promise and hope — that given the right tools and understanding we can help children like Lillian finds themselves, understand their past and find hope for the future." —Chief Kirby Kirby Whiteduck, Chief of the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation
“I love this book. I think everyone, not just children should read it. With gentle empathy and joyous hope Lynda Partridge paints the heartbreaking realities lived by far too many young people, while simultaneously generating optimism. She describes what is possible when we provide opportunities for generations to heal and lead us forward. The possibilities are both tremendous and endless.” —Senator Kim Pate, Senate of Canada
“Lillian has much to teach children and adults alike on the experience of utter vulnerability, resistance, and the art of the wise-child survival.” — Pamela Johnson, PhD Psychology
“A wonderful story of courage, inner strength and resilience as told through the eyes and mind of a child. Through this story of early adversity rises a person of character and wisdom who now shares her extraordinary understanding of finding a place in this world for the benefit of others”. “Leo Massi, MSW, RSW. Executive Director, H-N REACH.“
“This story is from the spirit and is a message for all of our First Nations relatives that it is now time to rise up and take this responsibility back to being natural helpers, and to nurture our children who are struggling.”— Robin Decontie, MSW Algonquin Anishinabekwe Director, Kitigan Zibi Health and Social Services
