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The First Day

A Story of Courage

By Katherena Vermette
Illustrated by Irene Kuziw
Series: The Seven Teachings Stories

Categories: Children's Fiction, Values & Virtues, Indigenous, New Experience, School & Education
Big Ideas: Contemporary Setting, Social Emotional Learning, Character Education, Courage, Friendship, Seven Sacred Teachings
Cultures & Peoples: Anishinaabeg
Indigenous Languages: Anishinaabemowin, Words or Phrases

Interest Age: 3–5
Grade: p–k
Reading Level: Fountas & Pinnell I, Lexile® Framework for Reading: 500L
Paperback : 9781553795216, 24 pages, November 2014
Ebook (PDF) : 9781553798224, 24 pages, January 2019
Ebook (EPUB) : 9781553798231, 24 pages, October 2018
Ebook (Mobi) : 9781553798248, 24 pages, January 2019
Amik Loves School (Paperback) , Kode's Quest(ion) (Paperback) , Misaabe's Stories (Paperback) , Singing Sisters (Paperback) , The First Day (Paperback) , The Just Right Gift (Paperback) , What is Truth, Betsy? (Paperback)
Read Excerpt

Makwa learns how to have courage and overcome his fears on his first day at a new school.

Description

Makwa’s family just moved to the city, and it’s his first day at a new school. He doesn’t know anybody, he doesn’t have any friends, and everything is so new and scary. Can Makwa find the courage to overcome his fears and enjoy his first day?

In this relatable story, a young Anishinaabe boy learns that things that seem scary at first are often not so bad after all. A pronunciation guide for the Anishnaabemowin words can be found at the back of the book.

Rich in culture and grounded in traditional knowledge, Katherena Vermette’s The Seven Teachings Stories series features themes of love, wisdom, humility, courage, respect, honesty, and truth. Contemporary Indigenous children explore the Seven Teachings of the Anishinaabe through stories of home and family that will look familiar to all young readers in these books for ages 3–5.

Reviews

Katherena Vermette’s The Seven Teachings Stories series is a collection of books that holds all the qualities children’s literature can have; her tales are educational, joyous, vivid, and have an irresistible cadence. But the stories have something more. Rich in culture and traditional knowledge, Katherena’s series addresses important topics—such as the residential school system—with the very teachings the series embodies: love, respect, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility, and truth.

David A. Robertson, author When We Were Alone