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Sem's Map: How to Listen to the Stories the Land Tells Us
32 pages, Hardcover
Published September 23, 2025
2 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Thomas
65 books94 followersRebecca Thomas enjoys a love-hate relationship with Alaska. She lives there with her husband and sons. When she isn’t reading, writing, or playing board games, she can be found taking long walks in the woods dreaming up her next story.
A reluctant reader as a child, she didn’t become interested in books until her teen years when she discovered historical romance. Now she loves all sub-genres of romance and can’t decide which one is her favorite.
Rebecca earned a bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Alaska and was employed in the airline industry for several years before working in her current position as a program manager in higher education.
A reluctant reader as a child, she didn’t become interested in books until her teen years when she discovered historical romance. Now she loves all sub-genres of romance and can’t decide which one is her favorite.
Rebecca earned a bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Alaska and was employed in the airline industry for several years before working in her current position as a program manager in higher education.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 1, 2026
I really love that the author and illustrator are both from indigenous backgrounds as the impact this knowledge and love has on the pages is so evident. Thomas is Mi’kmaw, Whitecalf is Plains Cree (Yay North Battlefield SK!). The illustrations are eye catching, and the story is told with respect and I love that Sem's able to have his classroom understand his point of view by the end of the story (of course they start off being mean to him).
February 15, 2026
This children’s book is about a little boy named Sem who is left confused after, in school, he learns about the map of his home North America. To Sem, the map is wrong. It has the same shape as Turtle Island but the lines and names spell a different story. His grandmother, or Kiju, tells him stories of the land, but Sem’s teacher and classmates have never heard them. This book follows Sem as he teaches his class, and us readers, that Indigenous place names are far older than any map.
This book was a sweet one that fosters a very thoughtful way of teaching young kids about the land they live on. It also provides them with perspective on how their Indigenous classmates may feel confused after growing up learning about their culture from a non-colonial lens. The book encouraged many positive ideas such as celebrating differences and thinking critically. I loved that it spotlighted a protagonist who is not afraid to speak up when they notice something may be odd. I also really liked that, in the story, Sem’s teacher modeled intellectual humility, demonstrating to his students that even authority figures who appear all-knowing, are not. He invited the right person to teach them about a topic that he does not have lived experience with.
The illustrations in this book are bright, colourful, and complement the story well. I noticed that, at the start of the book, there was a picture of a map of North America with the settler-named locations, and at the end, the same map was shown but, this time, using Indigenous place names. It was a clever touch that added depth to the book. This was the first non-poetry book I read by this author, and I really enjoyed it. I especially loved reading the author’s note at the end that talks about her own experiences growing up and her realization that places weren’t changing their names to something else, but rather, reclaiming what they always had been.
This is a beautifully illustrated, light-hearted, yet educational read. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a short, yet informative read for young students.
I rate this book 4.5/5 stars!
This book was a sweet one that fosters a very thoughtful way of teaching young kids about the land they live on. It also provides them with perspective on how their Indigenous classmates may feel confused after growing up learning about their culture from a non-colonial lens. The book encouraged many positive ideas such as celebrating differences and thinking critically. I loved that it spotlighted a protagonist who is not afraid to speak up when they notice something may be odd. I also really liked that, in the story, Sem’s teacher modeled intellectual humility, demonstrating to his students that even authority figures who appear all-knowing, are not. He invited the right person to teach them about a topic that he does not have lived experience with.
The illustrations in this book are bright, colourful, and complement the story well. I noticed that, at the start of the book, there was a picture of a map of North America with the settler-named locations, and at the end, the same map was shown but, this time, using Indigenous place names. It was a clever touch that added depth to the book. This was the first non-poetry book I read by this author, and I really enjoyed it. I especially loved reading the author’s note at the end that talks about her own experiences growing up and her realization that places weren’t changing their names to something else, but rather, reclaiming what they always had been.
This is a beautifully illustrated, light-hearted, yet educational read. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a short, yet informative read for young students.
I rate this book 4.5/5 stars!
October 2, 2025
Thoughts:
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I really enjoyed this book myself as it tells a real story about the land before settlers arrived. As a Brit myself I don’t have enough in-depth knowledge about the history and land boundaries of North America but this explains it in a great way to start children’s exploration of the land they live on. The illustrations themselves were beautiful and added to the overall impact of the story. I also liked the map of North America at the beginning and the map of Turtle Island at the end to base further learning on.
Favourite Quote:
Kiju always told him about the land. She would tell stories about the river and the forest. Where the moose ate his dinner and when it was time to tap the trees for syrup.
Mr. Trainor’s map didn’t tell any of these stories. They were all lines and boxes.”
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I really enjoyed this book myself as it tells a real story about the land before settlers arrived. As a Brit myself I don’t have enough in-depth knowledge about the history and land boundaries of North America but this explains it in a great way to start children’s exploration of the land they live on. The illustrations themselves were beautiful and added to the overall impact of the story. I also liked the map of North America at the beginning and the map of Turtle Island at the end to base further learning on.
Favourite Quote:
Kiju always told him about the land. She would tell stories about the river and the forest. Where the moose ate his dinner and when it was time to tap the trees for syrup.
Mr. Trainor’s map didn’t tell any of these stories. They were all lines and boxes.”
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews