Children's Fiction Native Canadian
The Girl Who Loved the Birds
- Publisher
- Nightwood Editions
- Initial publish date
- Apr 2023
- Category
- Native Canadian, Birds, Native American
- Recommended Age
- 6 to 8
- Recommended Grade
- 1 to 3
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9780889714441
- Publish Date
- Apr 2023
- List Price
- $15.95
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
A story for children by Kwantlen storyteller and award-winning poet Joseph Dandurand.
The Girl Who Loved the Birds is the third in a series of Kwantlen legends by award-winning author Joseph Dandurand, following The Sasquatch, the Fire and the Cedar Baskets and A Magical Sturgeon.
Accompanied by beautiful gouache illustrations by Kwantlen artist Elinor Atkins, this tender children’s story follows a young Kwantlen girl who shares her life with the birds of the island she calls home. Collecting piles of sticks and moss for the builders of nests, sharing meals with the eagles and owls, the girl forms a lifelong bond with her feathered friends, and soon they begin to return her kindness.
Written with Dandurand’s familiar simplicity and grace, The Girl Who Loved the Birds is a striking story of kinship and connection.
About the authors
JOSEPH A. DANDURAND is a member of Kwantlen First Nation located on the Fraser River east of Vancouver. He is the Heritage and Lands Officer for the Kwantlen territory and has been performing his duties for over 15 years. He has been a Playwright-in-Residence for the Museum of Civilization in Hull in 1995 and for Native Earth in Toronto in 1996. He studied Theatre and Direction at Algonquin College and University of Ottawa. His poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. He has also authored a radio script which was produced by CBC Radio in 1999.
RANDY MORIN is a teacher, storyteller and English-Cree translator from the Big River First Nation, Treaty Six area. He is specializing in literary, radio and video translations from English to Cree. He is a strong supporter of maintaining and teaching of Cree language and culture and shares this knowledge in the classroom as a high school teacher in Saskatoon, SK.
Joseph Dandurand's profile page
Elinor Atkins (Miməwqθelət, “the first bird to sing in the morning”) is a member of the Kwantlen First Nation and a Nɬeʔkepmx artist. Her works draw from the traditional teachings of the Coastal and Interior Salish culture and a deep connection to the land and water. She creates in different mediums including illustration, painting, printmaking, wood carving and public art installation. She illustrated The Girl Who Loved the Birds and A Magical Sturgeon; the latter was longlisted for the 2023 First Nations Communities READ Award.
