Miya Wears Orange
by Wanda John-Kehewin
illustrated by Erika Rodriguez Medina
Highwater Press, 2025
ISBN 978-1-77492-125-8
$21.95, 40 pp, ages 6 – 8
portageandmainpress.com
Miya loves her teacher, her school, and her friends. One day, her teacher reads the class a story about a young Indigenous girl who was taken far away from home to a residential school. Her long hair was cut off, and she was not allowed to go home, even for the holidays. As an Indigenous student herself, Miya is afraid that the same thing could happen to her. Her mother explains that Indigenous children are no longer forced to go to residential school. Miya is relieved to hear that, but she also feels sad for all the kids who were not allowed to grow up with their families. Her mother suggests that wearing an orange shirt on Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (the last day of September) is one way to remember those children.
The author notes that Miya Wears Orange is based on her own daughter’s fear and sadness at the thought of being sent to residential school. She states: I wrote this book because I believe sharing stories like this one is critical in creating awareness and understanding of historical trauma and its lasting effects.
Classroom Connections: Miya Wears Orange is a sensitive and age-appropriate description of the residential school system and could be used for discussion purposes at the primary grade level. Reading strategies that could be used with this book include making connections, asking questions, and making predictions. For access to a teacher’s guide, visit: highwaterpress.com.
Review by Brenda Boreham.
This review is featured in Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Fall 2025 issue.
