Louis Riel Day
The Fur Trade Project
by Deborah L. Delaronde
illustrated by Sheldon Dawson
Theytus Books, 2021
1SBN 978-1–9268-8661-9 (hc)
$19.95, 32 pp, ages 6 – 9
theytus.com
This new title connects colourful and detailed illustrations with a lyrical story poem to tell historical facts about the early fur trade, the lives of the Metis people, and the role of Louis Riel in Canadian history. The story poem is written by a young boy for a school assignment about the fur trade. With the help of his grandfather and a search of the Internet, he is able to trace some of the key events in Metis history.
Classroom Connections: Winner of the 2021 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award (in the non-fiction picture book category), this title would make a good learning resource for primary students. A glossary of keywords and phrases is provided at the end of the book.
Note: Louis Riel Day is a provincial statutory holiday observed on the third Monday in February each year in Manitoba. February 21 is the designated day for 2022.
Review by Brenda Boreham.
This review is featured in Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Winter 2022 issue.
