Nokum is My Teacher by D. Bouchard

Abstract

Bouchard, David. Nokum is My Teacher. Markham: Red Deer Press, 2006. Print.

Through the creation of conversational inquiry, David Bouchard’s award-winning picture book Nokum is My Teacher carries the reader on a beautiful journey between a young Cree boy and his Nokum, his grandmother. The journey honours both the Cree and English languages by including the dual text in columns throughout the book.  This format invites us to imagine the dialogue occurring in either language as the boy questions his place on the school landscape. He asks his grandmother for guidance and wonders how relevant his school learning is in his life when held in contrast to his experiences and knowing alongside his Cree family. Interwoven throughout the conversation, his grandmother responds to his wonders with questions as she gently guides him to seek answers from within his heart. Recognizing the importance of his traditional knowledge and ways of living alongside his Nokum, he begins to also see the value of the knowledge he will gain from his experiences in school. The young boy, steeped in his Nokum’s wisdom comes to see how new ways of knowing are essential in his life so he may continue to share his stories and experiences in multiple ways.

Allen Sapp’s picturesque illustrations exquisitely show both contemporary and traditional Cree lives and invites readers to reflect on their own stories around the importance of place, family and community. A compact disc is included containing a reading of the story in English and Cree with the Cree reading accompanied by the award-winning Aboriginal drumming group, Northern Cree.  The images in the book, the dual text, and the CD offer multiple ways for readers to experience this story with the rhythmic heartbeat of the drum bringing it to life.

While this is a children's picture book it will appeal to all ages. We would recommend it be used in every classroom from elementary through to post-secondary as a way to invite conversation about the tensions children and families negotiate as they travel between home and school and as a way to honour multiple ways of knowing.

Highly recommended:  4 out of 4 stars
Reviewers: Cindy Swanson & Trudy Cardinal

Doctoral candidate Cindy Swanson and Dr. Trudy Cardinal are Cree/Métis scholars from the University of Alberta whose research interests center on the experiences of Indigenous children and families on and off school landscapes. Both share a passion for children’s literature, especially literature written by and portraying the multiplicities in the lives of Indigenous youth and families.