Sem's Map

From the author of I'm Finding My Talk comes a candid picture book about the importance of Indigenous place names, and acknowledging traditional lands.

Sem is confused. The map Mr. Trainer has just put on the screen is all wrong. It's the same shape as Turtle Island but it's nothing but boxes and lines, and it's filled with names he doesn't know. There's no reference to the stories of the land his Kiju tells him every night while she braids his hair. But Sem's teacher and classmates claim there's nothing wrong. It's the same map they've always used.

See tries to see the land the way Mr. Trainer showed him, but it just doesn't feel right. Where is the story of how the moose gets his dinner? Or where the fish run in the spring? Or when to tap the trees for syrup?

With the help of Kiju, Sem will show his teacher and his classmates how the stories of the land, the Indigenous place names, are far older than any map.

A gentle calling-in, this assured story from Governor General's Award finalist Rebecca Thomas is paired with colourful, lively illustrations from Azby Whitecalf, as well as colonial and decolonial maps of Turtle Island (North America) for reference. Sem's Map is an invaluable resource for caregivers, educators, and young readers about the importance of acknowledging the traditional lands we live on, and unlearning colonial ways of the past.

REBECCA THOMAS is a Mi’kmaw woman registered with Lennox Island First Nation. She is the daughter of a residential school survivor and is an unrelenting advocate for her community. She is an award-winning poet and children’s author, and a former Halifax Poet Laureate. She lives in K’jipuktuk, Mi’kma’ki.

AZBY WHITECALF is a Plains Cree illustrator and character designer. Whitecalf is a graduate of AUArts, majoring in illustration with a bachelor’s degree in design. They have a  fondness for fantasy stories, whimsical tales, and vibrant characters. They live in Saskatchewan.