National Network for Equitable Library Service

The captivating story of how the Blue Camas, a flower that has been cultivated on Canada's west coast since time immemorial, came to symbolize the meeting of two contrasting ways of life and the perseverance of traditional knowledge against all odds. Blue Camas, Blue Camas tells the story of a flower that is native to the Northwest Coast of North America. For thousands of years, it has been considered a sacred and valuable plant by the Indigenous Peoples of this region, who harvested and traded Blue Camas bulbs all along the west coast.

From one to ten and well beyond, explore the Salish Sea in this visually striking, high-concept counting primer. Acclaimed West Coast artist Nikki McClure uses a single piece of paper and an X-ACTO knife to create her simple yet exquisite images. Whether it's one stubby squid or one million raindrops, readers young and not-so-young will delight in this distinctly Pacific picture book.

In this beautiful picture book inspired by real events, a young girl works to rescue her horse after a devastating flood. Dancer is a gentle and loving horse. He got his name because of how he moves his hooves—happily, like he's dancing. Every day when the girl rides on his back, it feels like she is flying—until the rain descends and won't let up. Everything floods and the girl and her family flee... leaving Dancer behind. But while sheltering at the community center, the girl can't stop worrying about Dancer. She knows there must be a way to save him too.

Peggy's Impossible Tale is told in the voice of a remarkable guinea pig. Full of action and surprises, it is guaranteed to captivate the attention of beginning readers. Peggy learns how to communicate with the loving family that adopted her—and goes on to win a much coveted prize for her accomplishments.

En plein cœur de la ville, sur une rue très animée, Petit Loup aime s'assoir sur les marches du perron chez sa grand-mère. Parfois, les odeurs de la forêt lui manquent tellement qu'elle hurle à la lune. Ce chant animal réjouit son cœur. Petit Loup est venue habiter en ville avec sa mère et sa sœur, mais l'ajustement n'a pas été facile. La nature et les animaux lui manquent terriblement. Le territoire traditionnel et sa culture lui manquent également. Puis le temps passe, et Petit Loup découvre la beauté de son nouvel environnement.

In a time when darkness covered the land, a boy named Weget is born who is destined to bring the light. With the gift of a raven's skin that allows him to fly as well as transform, Weget turns into a bird and journeys from Haida Gwaii into the sky. There he finds the Chief of the Heavens who keeps the light in a box. By transforming himself into a pine needle, clever Weget tricks the Chief and escapes with the daylight back down to Earth. Vividly portrayed through the art of Roy Henry Vickers, Weget's story has been passed down for generations.

A whimsical exploration of Vancouver's favourite family landmark, filled with gorgeous illustrations and fascinating facts. Granville Island ABC is a visual treasure hunt that invites families to explore the sights, sounds, and smells of this exciting arts and culture destination. With fun (and mostly free) discoveries for every letter of the alphabet—from buskers to houseboats, industrial relics to parks, seawalls to turtles—this book is the perfect companion to a family outing.

Indigenous artist and storyteller Andrea Fritz tells a tale of a salmon and a sea otter who learn it's ok to say "I don't know" and to ask for help. Thuqi' the sockeye salmon knows it's time to spawn, but she is lost in the Salish Sea and doesn't know the way to Sta'lo', the river. When she asks Tumus the sea otter for help, he doesn't exactly know either, and he dismisses her questions.

Oolichan Moon is a beautifully illustrated children's book about passing down traditional knowledge from Nisga'a Elders and the sacredness of traditional foods, particularly the oolichan fish. Together, author Samantha Beynon and illustrator Lucy Trimble have created a children's book rich with cultural knowledge and tradition that relates to their Nisga'a ancestry surrounding the oolichan fish.

Huxley the cat lives on a houseboat with his human companion, Robin. One day, while they are camping, Huxley gets lost. To get home, he must cross an entire island—passing by and through lakes, rivers, rainforest, subalpine and alpine regions, old-growth forest, ocean, highways, and city. Along the way, he meets strange animals and encounters plants he has never seen before. All through this long, hard trip, Huxley never gives up on getting home to Robin. But will he make it home before the winter storm season?