Nokum Is My Teacher / COPY 2

by David Bouchard

Other authorsAllen Sapp (Illustrator.)
Paper Book, 2007

Status

Available

Call number

821 B6798N65 2007 c. 2

Call number

821 B6798N65 2007 c. 2

Local notes

Shelved in Aboriginal Collection - Youth.

Description

Will you walk with me, Grandmother? Will you talk with me a while? I'm finding life confusing And I'm looking for some answers To questions all around me At that school and on the street. You have always been here for me Will you help me learn to see? Nokum Is My Teacher is the poetic story of a young aboriginal boy, posing questions to his grandmother, his "Nokum", about the wider world beyond the familiarity of their home and community. Through a series of questions, Nokum guides her grandson towards an understanding of his need to fit into and learn more about this large world beyond the reserve. Nokum offers her grandson a vision of a world he can enter through imagination and reading, while retaining respect for the ways of his people. By the conclusion of the book, the young grandson has learned many new ideas from his grandmother and discovered his own wisdom in dealing with the changes in his life. Nokum Is My Teacher is a delightfully packaged book and audio file, combining the written text in English and Cree with the mesmerizing voice of author/storyteller extraordinaire David Bouchard. It is illustrated by the hauntingly beautiful artworks of Allan Sapp, Cree elder, Governor General's Award-winner, and Officer of the Order of Canada. The singing and drumming are done by Alberta's Northern Cree, who have been nominated for a Grammy Award (2007) in the 'Native American music album' category. For the audio files go to www.fitzhenry.ca/usercontent/Audio/NokumIsMyTeacher-English.mp3 to hear the audio of the spoken words in English, with the wonderful music of Northern Cree, or go to www.fitzhenry.ca/usercontent/Audio/NokumIsMyTeacher-Cree.mp3 to hear the audio of the spoken words in Cree, again with the wonderful music of Northern Cree. The French/Cree version is available in hardcover with an enclosed CD as Nokum: Ma Voix et Mon Coeur. This is part of a series of aboriginal books David Bouchard has developed with Red Deer Press.… (more)

Publication

Calgary : Red Deer Press, 2007.

Language

User reviews

LibraryThing member ecugary
This is a wonderful story of a Cree Indian’s struggle with the thought of adjusting to the white man’s way of life. The boy knows that his elders all managed to be successful without learning the white man’s way of life and delivers a series of questions to his grandmother asking why the same
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wouldn’t be good enough for him. Each of his questions remain unanswered; instead the grandmother responds by posing another question that leads the boy to answer the question himself. Each section of the story is told in the English language as well as Cree.

This story provides a great focal point for a discussion regarding the importance of studying the culture and lifestyles of other peoples. After reading and discussing the book together, students will get into groups of three, choose a culture they would like to learn more about and research it, and then give brief presentations about what they learned to the rest of the class.
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ISBN

0889953678 / 9780889953673

Barcode

97808899536732
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