Description
Carolyn Roberts is a renowned educator, speaker and storyteller with a wealth of experience and expertise in Indigenous education and decolonization. She is a St’at’imc and Sto:lo woman belonging to the Thevarge family from N'quatqua Nation and the Kelly Family from the Tzeachten Nation and a member of the Squamish Nation. Kelsey Mata Foote (Jaax̱snée) is a Tlingit and Filipina illustrator, writer, and producer from Ketchikan, Alaska. She prefers to work digitally with a drawing tablet but is no stranger to incorporating natural textures and watercolor elements in her pieces. Her inspiration is rooted in a Southeast Alaska childhood, one filled with family, putting up fish, exploring the Tongass with her older brothers, and celebrating her heritage.
Using age-appropriate and empathetic language, Tess’s Red Dress introduces young children to Red Dress Day and the importance of remembering the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2 Spirit People. Backmatter pages include resources to support parents and educators through this important and difficult conversation with their children. Six year old Tess is excited to welcome her new baby sibling into the world! She asks her mom what it was like growing up with a sibling. Tess’s mom tells her stories about baking in the kitchen, singing loudly in the bathtub, sharing a bedroom, and braiding her sister’s hair. Despite their excitement over their growing family, they have experienced loss: her Auntie is one of the missing. The loss of any family member makes a drastic change for those left behind and the generations to come. As the family gets ready for the Red Dress Day march, Tess's mom and dad show her how to honour her Auntie by wearing her red dress and keeping the stories and memories of her family alive.
Audience: Ages 6-9.