Five Books to Read this Winter
Top 5 family reads from Winnipeg’s HighWater Press
Winnipeg’s HighWater Press offers authentic, indigenous-authored stories to entertain and enrich your family’s winter reading list. Start with these selections for readers from children to adults—and don’t miss our pick for the whole family to read together.
1. Awâsis and the World-Famous Bannock by Dallas Hunt; illustrated by Amanda Strong
Young Awâsis loses Kôhkum’s freshly baked world-famous bannock. Not knowing what to do, Awâsis seeks out a variety of other-than-human relatives willing to help. The book includes a pronunciation guide and the recipe for Kôhkum’s bannock.
2. The Reckoner trilogy by David A. Robertson
In the first book, Strangers, Cole Harper returns to Wounded Sky First Nation, where he finds his community in chaos: a series of shocking murders, a mysterious illness ravaging the residents and reemerging questions about his role in the tragedy that drove him away 10 years ago. With the aid of a disfigured ghost, and his two oldest friends, Cole tries to unravel the mysteries he left behind. Monsters, the second book in the series, was released at the end of November.
3. A Girl Called Echo, by Katherena Vermette; illustrated by Scott B. Henderson
The latest in the series, Red River Resistance, sees Echo Desjardins transported through time to the banks of the Red River in the summer of 1869. Vermette is also the award-winning author of the critically-acclaimed The Break, a Canada Reads finalist.
4. Surviving the City by Tasha Spillet; illustrated by Natasha Donovan
Miikwan and Dez are best friends. Miikwan is Anishinaabe; Dez is Inninew. Together, the teens navigate the challenges of growing up Indigenous. Winnipeg readers will see familiar city landmarks through their eyes. This graphic-novel debut tells a story of kinship, resilience, cultural resurgence, and the anguish of a missing loved one.
5. When We Were Alone by David A. Robertson; illustrated by illustrated by Julie Flett
In this Governor General’s award-winning book, a young girl learns from her grandmother about life in a residential school. A free downloadable parent/teacher guide is available at the publisher’s website offering tips on how to talk to children about this dark chapter of Canadian history.
