Children's Books

Goldrock Press

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Children's Books

By Flora Rideout

In today’s busy technological age, with English as the dominant language, it is difficult for young Cree parents to keep the language alive for future generations. And as the language is lost, so is the culture.

Flora Rideout, a Cree from Moose Lake, MB, wrote this book as a resource for young moms and dads who would like to teach their children Cree. She believes that it is important that language learning starts at a young age.

Flora recalls that when she was growing up, it was much easier to keep your Native language. She herself spoke only Cree until she started to go to school.

Flora Rideout has had her work previously published in Northern Writers, volume 1. She is an Information Technologies teacher at Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre. She lives in Norway House with her husband, Robert, and two children, Marcia (age 12) and Bobby (age 3).

By M. D. Meyer

Available as a soft-cover illustrated book and also an audio recording in MP3 format, Pilot Error is suitable for ages 8-12. It is set in a fictional, First Nations community in a remote area of Northern Canada.

"Eleven-year-old Andrew Martin is convinced that it was not his father that died in the fiery crash that destroyed his plane. There are just too many things that don’t add up. And if his father didn’t die in the plane crash, then he is still out there somewhere. And Andrew is determined to find him!
Teaming up with his friend, Joshua, Andrew travels deep into the Canadian wilderness, exploring old mine sites, encountering a black bear, and eventually rescuing Andrew’s dad from out of the hands of a desperate criminal."

M. D. Meyer is the award-winning author of The Little Ones, Pilot Error, Deep Waters, Colin’s Choice, Get Lost! and Meet Manitoba Children’s Authors and the editor of seven anthologies, Prairie Writers, volumes 1, 2, 3, Northern Writers, volume 1, The Voice Behind the Mask, Isle of Mirage and Squirrel Tales and Rabbit Trails.

Her many other writing credits include: editorial, reviews, news, feature articles, profiles, script-writing and poetry. Using this wide variety of writing experience, Ms. Meyer teaches classes that provide encouragement and practical help to writers of all genres.

Dorene was a mentor in the 2008 Sheldon Oberman Emerging Writers Mentor Program. She currently resides in Norway House, MB, where she is a part-time instructor at University College of the North.

Soft-cover edition illustrated by Steve Meyer

Steve Meyer has been doddling on school notebooks, napkins, placemats, the backs of Yatzee score cards, and occasionally a sketch book, for as far back as he can remember.
His familiarity with the north and in particular with the area around goldmines (among other jobs, Steve has been a hardrock miner), made him an obvious choice for illustrating this book.
In addition to his artwork, Steve is also a mechanic working on everything from small engines to automotive/truck and coach/heavy equipment.
If you’d like your car fixed or would like to hire an illustrator, you can get hold of Steve at doesntlikebugs@hotmail.com.

By Brenda Fontaine

Brenda Fontaine is an author, journalist and teacher. Her work has been previously published in Northern Writers volume 1, North Roots, Urban NDN, Maranatha News and First Nations Voice.

Brenda grew up in Norway House, MB and lived there until she was fourteen when she left for Winnipeg to attend the residential school of Assiniboia. There she met her future husband, Harold, whom she has been married to for 40 years. They have five children and 20 grandchildren and through the years have lived in Thompson, The Pas, Sagkeeng and Lydell, before settling back into Norway House.

Besides writing, Brenda enjoys boating in the big lakes around Norway House and also camping.

Babs’ Adventures is based on stories that her mother told her about growing up in the north in the 1950’s.

"When eight-year-old Babs Thompson and her brother, James, encounter a stranger in a secluded creek, they find a mystery, and many questions that have no answers.

In the wilderness, miles away from civilization, a man has lived for twenty years, his desire for privacy earning him the title of hermit. With a gift for healing, his unknown past shrouded in mystery, the stranger at the creek has only one friend, Babs’ grandfather."

This beautifully bound hard-cover edition makes an excellent gift for librarians, teachers, parents and of course, children, who wish to learn more about Cree culture. Set in the 1950’s in a fictional Cree community, this book is an excellent example of how parents and grandparents of long ago taught a lot of lessons through local folklore, history, and story telling, weaving virtues throughout them. It was a good time when families were connected daily, especially in the evenings when they would spend time together.