This delightful book is the product of a collaboration between the school children and an elders’ literacy program at Tsulquate, the population centre of the Gwa’Sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nation located near Port Hardy on the north end of Vancouver Island. The contents range from poetry to historical document to personal anecdote to first generation stories. The many drawings and photographs, of both historical and contemporary people, places, and events are a beautiful complement to the written text.

In reviewing this book, I must confess my own excitement at its publication and my pleasure every time I open it and see familiar faces. I grew up in Port Hardy and know many of the people featured in this book. It is absolutely thrilling for me to see, in print, some of the stories I have been told by different individuals. The beauty of their voices is strong in my head as I read. Even more clearly, I can hear their laughter.

Students have responded positively to the illustration and written content. One Heiltsuk student said, “Their culture is a lot like ours. We should do a book like this.” A literacy student in Duncan said, “I like the stories. I also like that elders are still around telling stories to future generations. I also like some students writing their own poems.” A Cowichan student said that it is interesting to learn about other First Nations people’s art and traditional dress and to compare them to his own.

The book is valuable to literacy programs for a number of reasons. The history it contains cannot fail to expand on non-Aboriginal readers’ understanding of the history and vibrancy of an important, contemporary culture. In addition to documenting important stories in an accessible format, it inspires other students. When students hold this product in their hands and know that others like them created it, they know what they are capable of.

As the book is comprised of a series of different types of writing, the reading level varies from fundamental to independent, so there is something for everyone here. Because the subject matter ranges from tribal to provincial history, and from creative to personal writing, Gwa’Sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Stories has a place in nearly every aspect of a curriculum

This lovely book tells a people’s own story in their own words and I very much look forward to the second volume in what I hope becomes an extensive series.