Canada Day offers an opportunity to reflect on our past and the future we want to build together. Writers take stock of how we see ourselves and how the world sees us as they explore Canadian identity in adult, youth and junior fiction and non-fiction titles.
L&A Libraries suggests the following as excellent junior non-fiction titles on this topic:
Loonies and Toonies by Mike Ulmer
An exploration of Canadian subjects through the lens of counting. It covers various aspects of social life and customs in Canada.
Govern Like a Girl by Kate Graham
A look at women who served as Premiers of a province, territory, or in one case, Canada’s first female Prime Minister.
Finding Home by Jen Sookfong Lee
A review of the push and pull factors that influence human migration to/from Canada. This title reveals personal stories and profiles to show the complexity of why some people come to Canada and why others choose to leave.
The Kids Book of Black Canadian History by Rosemary Sadler
An overview of the undertold history of Black people fighting oppression in Canada. Acclaimed stories and key events highlight how well before Confederation and long since Black people have shaped Canada.
Meet Viola Desmond by Elizabeth MacLeod
This is the story of a civil rights trailblazer who refused to allow white culture to tell her where she could sit in a movie theater. Her subsequent arrest brought her quest for freedom to the courts.
See the complete list of suggestions here.
Jennifer is a Librarian at the Amherstview Branch of the L&A Libraries. She regularly writes awareness pieces that offer book suggestions relating to important and commemorative days in Canada.
