Sima7- Come Join Me (1991)

Author: Lorna Williams Illustrator: Mary Longman
University of British Columbia Press: Vancouver, BC

A true story of an international Indigenous culture camp in Lillooet, British Columbia, where children learn about the diversity of Indigenous cultures. Written and illustrated by Indigenous educators, Lorna Williams and Mary Longman, this book is an excellent teaching resource for elementary level.

The story’s narrator, Paul, is a Mohawk boy who travels to British Columbia to attend a youth gathering with other Indigenous youth from across the continent. During this four-day meeting Paul meets many other young native people and learns how much he shares with people who may live half a continent away.

The youth are taught songs, dances and legends. They are taught about the traditional relationship of the First Nations with plants and animals and how this knowledge was shared with non-natives who arrived to live on this continent. As part of Paul’s story this book contains a short play, which might be performed in a classroom. In addition, there are five original songs written by David Campbell with the complete words and music at the end of the book.