Ashley meets her great-uncle by the old train tracks near their community in Nova Scotia. When she sees his sadness, he shares with her the history of those tracks. Uncle tells her that during his childhood the train would bring their community supplies, but there came a day when the train took away with it something much more important. One day he and the other children from the reserve were taken aboard and transported to residential school, where their lives were changed forever. They weren't allowed to speak Mi'gmaq and were punished if they did. Uncle tells her he tried not to be noticed, like a little mouse, and how hard it was not to have the love and hugs and comfort of family. He also tells Ashley how happy she and her sister make him. They are what give him hope. Ashley promises to wait with her uncle as he sits by the tracks, waiting for what was taken from their people to come back to them.

Jodie Callaghan is from the Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation in Gespe’gewa’gi (Quebec). She started writing stories when she was 8 years old and has always been drawn to story-telling. She has found writing to be the best way to connect to her history and her culture. Jodie currently resides in Northern New Brunswick with her husband, child, and pets. When she’s not teaching, she is very slowly chipping away at her Masters of Education degree from UNB and dreaming up stories she will one day write.

Jodie Callaghan's profile page

Georgia Lesley is a Canadian-born professional artist and illustrator living in British Columbia's Cariboo region. She began illustrating in 2006 and strives to create a sense of depth, emotion, and visual storytelling, to assist and enhance the written word.

Georgia Lesley's profile page

• Short-listed, Ann Connor Brimer Award for Atlantic Canadian Children's Literature
• Commended, From Sea to Sea: Celebrating Indigenous Picture Books - IBBY
• Short-listed, Forest of Reading - Silver Birch Express
• Long-listed, OLA Best Bets
• Commended, American Indians in Children's Literature's Best Books of the Year
• Commended, CCBC - Best Books for Kids and Teens - Fall

“Through Uncle's story, Callaghan (Mi'gmaq) presents a harsh topic in a gentle way. Lesley's soft color palette and expressive characters blend beautifully with the story without lifting its heaviness. Keeps a critical memory alive. ”

Kirkus Reviews

"Mi’gmaq author Jodie Callaghan has created a sensitive and flowing text that, in the course of describing a short afternoon’s encounter between a child and an elder, embodies a generation’s suffering. A touching line near the end of the story states, 'I am waiting for what we lost that day to come back to us.' But the hopeful note of Uncle’s pride in his young relatives leaves us waiting for better things too."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"The Train is a vital story that helps readers learn about residential schools and intergenerational trauma.”

Toronto Star

"Mi'gmaq storyteller Callaghan recounts this sad episode from Indigenous history using simple, understated text that conveys the lingering pain of this injustice."

Booklist