Book
The secret pocket / Peggy Janicki ; illustrated by Carrielynn Victor.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781459833722
- Physical Description: 1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 28 cm
- Publisher: Victoria : Orca Book Publishers, 2023.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Indigenous peoples > Canada > Residential schools > Juvenile literature.
Indigenous students > Canada > Social conditions > Juvenile literature.
Off-reservation boarding schools > British Columbia > History > Juvenile literature.
Carrier Indians > Education > History > Juvenile literature.
Carrier Indians > Social conditions > Juvenile literature.
Off-reservation boarding schools > British Columbia > History.
Carrier Indians > Education > History.
Carrier Indians > Social conditions.
Picture books.
British Columbia. - Genre:
- Picture books.
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at College of the Rockies.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Circulation Modifier | Holdable? | Status | Due Date | Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cranbrook Campus | E 96.5 .J36 2023 (Text) | 31111000161834 | CRANBROOK | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
"This illustrated nonfiction picture book tells the true story of how a group of girls at a residential school sewed secret pockets into their clothes to hide food."-- - Baker & Taylor
In this nonfiction story of survival and resilience in the face of genocide and cruelty, Mary and the other Indigenous girls at a Canadian residential home sew secret pockets in their clothes to hide food, giving themselves a future, stitch by stitch. 8,000 first printing. Illustrations. - Orca Book Publishers
This illustrated nonfiction picture book tells the true story of how a resilient group of girls at a residential school sewed secret pockets into their clothes to hide food. - Orca Book Publishers
Key Selling Points
- It's a deeply personal and unique perspective on one residential-school experience in Canada. The author is Indigenous and this is her mother's story.
- The author is Dakelh and a teacher in the Mission School District in British Columbia. She's also a mentor to other Indigenous teachers. She is donating the proceeds of the book to the Nak'azdli Whuten Elders Society.
- The secret pocket is a living story. Every year this story is gifted to Indigenous university and high-school graduates in the Fraser Valley to ensure the legacy of the residential school experience is never forgotten.
- The truth about residential schools is still being uncovered. In 2021 the remains of 215 children were found on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, and since then thousands more unmarked graves have been discovered across Canada at former residential school sites.
- The back matter includes a glossary of terms and an author's note about the origins of this story and how it continues to be shared today.
?âCaptures the sympathy of readers and holds their attention...An age-appropriate telling by an Indigenous creative team of a tragic historical period.ââSchool Library Journal, starred review
The true story of how Indigenous girls at a residential school sewed secret pockets into their dresses to hide food and survive.
Mary was four years old when she was first taken away to the Lejac Indian Residential School. It was far away from her home and family. Always hungry and cold, there was little comfort for young Mary. Speaking Dakelh was forbidden and the nuns and priest were always watching, ready to punish. Mary and the other girls had a genius idea: drawing on the knowledge from their mothers, aunts and grandmothers who were all master sewers, the girls would sew hidden pockets in their clothes to hide food. They secretly gathered materials and sewed at nighttime, then used their pockets to hide apples, carrots and pieces of bread to share with the younger girls.
Based on the author's mother's experience at residential school, The Secret Pocket is a story of survival and resilience in the face of genocide and cruelty. But it's also a celebration of quiet resistance to the injustice of residential schools and how the sewing skills passed down through generations of Indigenous women gave these girls a future, stitch by stitch.