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Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow the Free Press to deepen our reporting on theatre, dance, music and galleries while also ensuring the broadest possible audience can access our arts journalism. The title is currently on the Ontario Library Association’s Silver Birch Award short list as part of its Forest of Reading program, an initiative designed to promote a love of you value coverage of Manitoba’s arts scene, help us do more. They added: "We are deeply concerned that students may not have access to The Great Bear in their schools." In an email, a spokesperson for Penguin Random House said the publisher cannot sit by idly at a time when it is grappling with past crimes against Indigenous people and working "to address them through actions aimed at getting to real truth and reconciliation." I want to make sure that their vetting process, whatever it is, is transparent and consistent," he said. What I want to see is a change in policy. "I don’t really need an apology because an apology without action means nothing. I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.
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Manitoba school boards typically rely on teachers to use their professional discretion to gauge grade appropriateness and introduce materials to students.Īs far as Robertson is concerned, what is happening in Durham amounts to worrying censorship. "If we’re really looking at the reconciliation process and what it looks like at the school level, it’s about sharing our stories and… not only having Indigenous kids seeing themselves in the books that we’re reading and the resources that we’re using, having our stories told and also told by us, but also having non-Indigenous kids learning because they haven’t been exposed to stuff," Waters said. The books are well-written and engaging to Indigenous and non-Indigenous audiences alike, while they provide positive First Nations representation in lessons and prompt critical discussions, said the Métis educator. Vice-principal April Waters said she was shocked to hear the sequel is off-limits in the Durham region.
Officials are expected to discuss the matter during a public meeting Tuesday.Īt Winnipeg’s Bruce Middle School, grades 6 and 8 students are currently reading Robertson’s series. School board leaders did not respond to requests for comment Monday.
We continue to engage with the local Indigenous community members who raised the initial concern about this book before sharing any more information publicly," it states. "(DDSB) is committed to upholding Indigenous rights, including the self-determination of parents and families. I am just still completely beside myself about it,” Cree author David Robertson told the Free Press on Monday. “I never would’ve expected a book like that to get pulled off shelves. A division statement was published Saturday, several days after the Toronto Star first reported on the situation, and indicated leadership did not receive email queries from Penguin Random House because they were caught in a phishing filter. Over the weekend, the board acknowledged it had "temporarily" removed The Great Bear from its library collection, pending a review. He had not received a formal reply from the board about its decision, as of Monday. Noting his goal is exactly that: to empower Indigenous families, Robertson added the novels tackle universal themes such as climate change and anti-bullying. Teachers often relay positive messages from their students when contacting Robertson, he said, adding Indigenous fans disclose how empowering the saga is, given it highlights Cree culture and ongoing issues faced by First Nations people. ( The Stone Child is slated to be released in August.) The critiques have left both the author and his publisher "dumbfounded," he said, adding he’s only ever received positive feedback on the first two books in the series.
The division memo indicates the reason: it contains "too much culture and ceremony," while one part of it is "particularly harmful to Indigenous youth and families." Robertson said he obtained board correspondence that suggests his book was among several in question. I am just still completely beside myself about it," Robertson told the Free Press on Monday. "I never would’ve expected a book like that to get pulled off shelves. The opening leads into another world in which the Cree youth travel back in time to adventure and learn principles about their culture. The Narnia-inspired novels detail the adventures of Indigenous children who discover a magical portal at their foster home. The young-adult book succeeds The Barren Grounds as the second in Robertson’s fantastical series, The Misewa Saga.