TURTLE ISLAND
By Eldon Yellowhorn & Kathy Lowinger
Discover the story of North America’s Indigenous peoples before 1492. Unlike most books on the history of Native peoples, which begin with the arrival of Europeans in 1492, this book goes back to the Ice Age to give young readers a glimpse of what life was like pre-contact. Turtle Island, (Annick Press, $24.95, ages 11+) refers to a Native myth that explains how the Americas were formed on the back of a turtle. Based on archeological finds and scientific research, we now have a clearer picture of how the Indigenous peoples lived as far back as 14,000 years ago. A wide variety of topics are explored including what people ate, how they expressed themselves through art, and how they adapted to their surroundings. The importance of story-telling among the Native peoples is always present to shed light on how they explained their world: each chapter opens with a seminal myth to address the theme of that chapter. With its striking design and beautiful images, this book fills a gap in the story of North America’s Indigenous peoples.
