Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Review of book series "As-tu vu?"

The book series  As-tu vu, by  Éditions les Malins came to my attention when the Aboriginal Educator in my school reviewed the book titled Autochtones.  I wrote this post since the publisher did not reply to my concerns about content.   I immediately discarded this book due to it's multiple errors.  Including:
  • 'Les Abenakis (de l'est)  .... ils sculptaient des totems" (images de totems de Haidi de la cote ouest)  
  • "les cowboys du far west on appris des Mohawks le lancer du lasso..."  Les Mohawks vivent dans les forets d'est,  C'est des autres (comme les Blackfoot) qui vivent aux prairies avec les chevals.
  • the costume is not regalia!!! on the page that is talking about traditions (regalia is traditional) "Les algonquins ont comme tradition...
  • "Dans certaines tribus indigenes, les chasseurs gardent la tete de leur victime en signe de victiore..."  this fact is taken out of context and perpetuates negative stereotypes!  This content is also is inappropriate for elementary schools.  The images on this page are of African aborignals, they are definately not "les Cris".
  • "La gomme a macher est une invention des innus"  Mais les Innus vivent au tondre ... sans Arbres!
It has made me look at the other titles in this series.  Most are good!  I have noticed a few errors in the following titles:
Les grands explorateurs- (une erreur) Christophe Colomb a decouvert l'Amerique... but there is no mention of the Vikings!

Espions et leurs Gadgets (une erreur)- the book explains that "d'amerindiens sont des "chasseurs d tetes".  Now inappropriate fact out of context, that perpeturates negative stereotypes.  We are working on rebuilding connections with First peoples, not damaging them.

Les chiens de traineau (deux erreurs) - the book says Inuit children do not need warm blankets when taking rides on the dogsled as their dogs are so warm.  When it would be after dogsledding.   The book makes a connection to the "1929 Krach boursier" .  This in not a French word for the 1929 Stock market crash, which a child would definitely not know about.