Description
Kode's Quest(ion): A Story of Respect explores the meaning of one of the Seven Grandfather Teachings through the eyes of a young girl. In her urban school Mashkode Bixhiki (Kode) knows many things, but she doesn't know one thing: What does respect mean? Who will help her figure out the answer? This 24-page picture book follows Kode as she asks all the older people in her family about the meaning of respect. Her brother, sister, mother, father, grandfather and grandmother, and finally her cultural teacher all help her see how she can be respectful to Mother Earth, Elders, grandparents, relatives, and to herself. Kode's final answer shows her teacher that Kode knows how to show respect. Kode’s Quest(ion) is one book in The Seven Teachings Stories series. The Seven Teachings of the Anishinaabe—love, wisdom, humility, courage, respect, honesty, and truth—are revealed in these seven stories for children. Set in an urban landscape with Indigenous children as the central characters, these stories about home and family will look familiar to all young readers. The heartfelt stories serve as cultural bridges to non-Indigenous people wishing to familiarize themselves and their children with contemporary Indigenous culture. Métis writer Katherena Vermette has written these seven charming stories that demonstrate the simple and powerful messages contained within the Seven Grandfather Teachings. Illustrations by University of Manitoba graduate Irene Kuziw are in soft pencil crayons, showing Aboriginal children in familiar settings.