Multicultural books...

So I was already on a journey to find more French immersion First Nations content for our school library when I heard this moving presentation about how everyone benefits when they can find themselves represented in stories.  Here is Chimananda Adichie talking about the danger of a single story. 

This video encouraged me to look for stories of other cultures (in today's times) that students in French immersion would read.  For primary books the images are important to show students, that people of their heritage are in books too.  For intermediate stories I wanted to find both immigration stories but also stories of children and teens in current situations that students in my school can relate to.
Well I found this quest really challenging.  So if you have any more suggestions I would really appreciate them!

Here is the few that I have found so far:

Primary:

• AMÉ by  Massicotte, Sylvie (3 books in this series) (African) ISBN 9782896512096 
•  Emma by Nelson, Sandra  (2 books in this series) isbn 9782081253896
• Comme elle ressemble à mon papa par Pili Mandelbaum (an adopted daughter from another country) ISBN 978221101091

• Another title is Tutti frutti in the " À pas de souris" series .
• There are some titles in the Scholastic  "Je veux lire" series like Le nouveau bébé.  And more titles in the new series "toujours parfait".
•  Huit Jours: un enfant À HAÏTI  by Danticat, Edwidge.  ISBN 9781443106740 (Amerique du Sud)
• Le kimono du Suki  ISBN ) 0439975077 (Japanese)

  

Intermediate: (still looking hard for books)

• Ping  by Poulin, ANDRÉE (2 titles - an adopted Chinese child in a regular family in Quebec.  Well written). 
• Qu'est-ce qui fait courir Mamadi? par  Étienne Poirier (African child in a refugee campt) ISBN 9782924279045

À la recherche des livres autochtones!

To recognize the mix of students in my school I have been looking for books about Aboriginal people, that are written by Aboriginal authors or have a real representation of people of the First Nations of Canada.  One of my challenges is not to over-represent Inuit people but to find stories that are in a variety of environments.   Here is what I have found at this moment:

Book Publishers (Maisons d'Éditions)
Les Éditions soleil de minuit (http://www.editions-soleildeminuit.com/index.html)
Pemmican Publishers  (http://pemmican.websites.ca/Home.page) (~7 French children's titles)
Éditions Hurbubise (books by Michel Noel)
Les Éditions Cornac (http://editionscornac.com/index.php)
Scholastic Canada (several titles e.g. Lune d'érable, Les bas du pennsonait)
Pearson (leveled reader series "L'échos de l'île de la tortue")(http://www.lesechosdeliledelatortue.com/index.html)

Booksellers (Librairies):
Good Minds (www.goodminds.com) (many choices)
Strong nations (few French choices)
Scholastic Canada (quelques titres )
Librarie Pantoute (editions Hannenorak et Cronac)
Librairie Hannenorak (http://fr-fr.facebook.com/pages/Caf%C3%A9-librairie-Hannenorak/124973337528981)

Language Webpage:

First Voices (French and English) http://www.firstvoices.com/fr/home

Some suggested titles for French immersion students

read aloud's primary

• Entre dans la Grande Ronde par David Bouchard
• La Quete Spirituelle de Petit Ours par Diane Silvey (coastal BC) (has an English teachers guide)
• La ceinture fléchée par Sylvain Rivard (trilingual) Les editions Hannenorak

read aloud's intermediate:

• La piroque de Shin-chi par Nicola Campbell (residential school) and the sequel Shi-shi-etko
• all David Bouchard's picture books  e.g. Nokum, ma voix et mon Coeur
• Tant que couleront les rivières by Larry Loyie (Northern Prairies)

individual reading: grades (1)- 2

• Le corbeau est noir by Brenda Watson (B.C.), from Les Éditions soleil de minuit (14 other titles)
• tri-lingual books Wabanaki Series by Bouton d'Or Acadie; e.g. Le Roi de Glace by Allison Mitcham
• leveled reader series L'échos de l'île de la tortue (Pearson)

 

grades 3-4 

• - Michel Noel - les Papinachois (Abernaq - Ontario) (series de 8 titres)  (Dominique et compagnie) 
• - 6 titles in series "les loups rouges" (Wendat - Quebec) e.g. Le petit aigle et l'enfant par Johanne Laframboise; Natanis par Christine Sioui Wawanoloath. (now Les Éditions Cornac)
• - leveled reader series L'échos de l'île de la tortue (Pearson)

 intermediate:

• Louis, fils des Prairies (Metis) par Noelie Palud-Pelletier
• Tant que couleront les rivières par Larry Loyie (Northern Prairies)
• Les bas du pennsonait (Fatty legs) and its sequel ...par  Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton