Deidre Havrelock and Edward Kay’s INDIGENOUS INGENUITY has been called “A completely unique and important narrative not to be missed; readers and teachers will come away with a new appreciation for the myriad contributions Indigenous people have made”, by the School Library Journal in a starred review!
About the book:
This beautifully designed, interactive nonfiction work celebrates North American Indigenous thinkers and inventions—perfect for fans of Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Corn. Chocolate. Fishing hooks. Boats that float. Insulated double-walled construction. Recorded history and folklore. Life-saving disinfectant. Forest fire management. Our lives would be unrecognizable without these, and countless other, scientific discoveries and technological inventions from Indigenous North Americans.
Spanning topics from transportation to civil engineering, hunting technologies, astronomy, brain surgery, architecture, and agriculture, Indigenous Ingenuity is a wide-ranging STEM offering that answers the call for Indigenous nonfiction by reappropriating hidden history. The book includes fun, simple activities and experiments that kids can do to better understand and enjoy the principles used by Indigenous inventors. Readers of all ages are invited to celebrate traditional North American Indigenous innovation, and to embrace the mindset of reciprocity, environmental responsibility, and the interconnectedness of all life.
About the authors:
Deidre Havrelock is a member of Saddle Lake Cree Nation. She grew up in Edmonton, AB, Canada with a ghost in her house, a feminist for a grandma, and wishing she had a buffalo for a pet! Over the years, she has lived in various wonderful places across Canada and the USA. Currently, she resides in Lethbridge, Alberta where she is working on several picture books including a non-fiction picture book about buffalo. Her first picture book Buffalo Wild! is due out in 2021 with Annick Press.
Edward Kay is an award-winning Toronto-based writer with an eclectic background in live-action and animated television comedy and journalism. He was a writer and producer on CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes for four seasons. He was also producer and head writer of The Itch, a darkly humorous Canadian cult TV classic, as well as a contributing writer to Rick Mercer’s Talking to Americans. He is the co-creator of the award-winning kids’ animated comedy series Olliver’s Adventures.
Deidre and Edward are represented by Amy Tompkins.