I Like Who I Am

by Tara White, illustrated by Lee Claremont

tagged: bullying, native canadian

Description

Celina is a young Mohawk girl who moves to her mother's home reserve. She is teased by her classmates who tell her that she is not Mohawk and does not belong because she has blond hair and blue eyes. Celina starts to believe her classmates and decides not to dance at an upcoming Pow Wow. But her great-grandmother helps Celina understand that being Mohawk is not about how she looks but about what she feels in her heart. When the drumming starts at the Pow Wow, Celina decides to dance after all.

A beautifully illustrated story, I Like Who I Am explores issues of bullying and belonging as Celina looks for acceptance in her new community.

About the Authors

Tara White is a Mohawk woman from Kahnawake, Quebec. She pursued her master's degree in business administration at the Schulich School of Business in Toronto and became a certified management accountant. But Tara had always dreamed of becoming a writer, so she started taking writing classes in 2002. I Like Who I Am is Tara's first published children's book. Tara lives in Bowmanville, Ontario.

Lee Claremont was born in Woodstock, Ontario. She is of Mohawk-Irish ancestry and is a member of the Grand River Iroquois Six Nations in Oshweken, Ontario. Lee received her Bachelor of Fine Arts (honours) from the University of British Columbia in the beautiful Okanagan Valley. She won an Angel Award for the "largest individual creative contribution in the visual arts in the Okanagan Valley." She is a respected instructor at the En'owkin Centre, an internationally recognized Aboriginal college.

Age:: 6 to 8
Grade:: 1 to 3
Reading age:: 6 to 8

Editorial Reviews

"[I Like Who I Am] doesn't only work as a learning tool, with Mohawk words interspersed with English ones, it is a life lesson.

Heart warming, sincere and full of experiences we've all had, I Like Who I Am is a must read for parents."

— The Eastern Door

"An outstanding book ideal for helping grades three to six children begin exploring: 1) the concept of culture, 2) the dynamics and pitfalls associated with judging/bullying others based on their physical features, and 3) the value of taking action against bullies who judge others by how they look."

— Canadian Material Review

About BC Books Online

I Like Who I Am

by Tara White, illustrated by Lee Claremont

Buy this book at: