1) Muinji’j Asks Why: The Story of Mi’kmaw and the Shubenacadie Residential School told by Muinji’j and Shanika MacEachern, art by Zeta Paul
Plot Summary: One day Muinji'j comes home from school upset. She had always known about the residential schools, unlike the other children in her class, but after learning more about it in school she was devastated about why the schools came to exist, children were murdered there. Muinji'j found safety and honesty in an open conversation with her parents, as depicted in this honest and poignant work.
Appeal: Aimed at children ages 6 and up, this important and educational book offers a raw depiction of the traumas of the residential schools and the lasting impact they have on Canada's Indigenous communities.
Limitations and Weaknesses: This book should be read with trigger warnings, as it may be a child's introduction to the horrors of Canada's genocidal history.
MacEachern, M., & MacEachern, S. (2022). Muinji’j asks why: The story of the Mi’kmaw and the Shubenacadie Residential School. Nimbus Publishing. (Z. Paul, Illus.).