The First Beaver

by Caroll Simpson (Written and Illustrated by)

This is the story of how the first beaver came to be. It tells of a young girl, Reedee, who is born with hair the colour of Mother Earth, not the colour of Raven like the rest of her people. It isn't just her hair that sets Reedee apart: at night, when everyone else sleeps, Reedee disappears into the forest. Her parents are dismayed, but when they learn that Reedee has a path she must follow on her own, they support her and allow her to become her true self.

Caroll Simpson's charming tale and vivid colour paintings depict the world of the First Peoples of the Pacific Northwest and encourage young readers to find and honour their true selves, just like Reedee did. The book includes a glossary of crests and their significance in First Nations culture.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated, this story reveals the first beaver. This supports the teaching of wisdom, one of the Seven Sacred Teachings.

[Whole And · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting first nations tale of a young girl unlike no other who becomes the first beaver. Her characteristics help us understand the tremendous role of the beaver in creating the abundance of flowing river and all the blessings along with them.

The book also includes significant crests of the First Nations people with explanations of their meaning.

We explored this book while learning about beavers as they are the symbol on the Canadian nickel.