''The Song within my Heart by Dave Bouchard'' is a children's picture book by

David Bouchard David Bouchard is a Canadian author and former high school principal. Bouchard was born and raised in Saskatchewan. He is a Member of the Order of Canada and a public school in Oshawa, Ontario is named after him. In his 2017 book, ''Proud to Be ...

with illustrations by

Allen Sapp Allen Sapp (January 2, 1928 – December 29, 2015) was a Canadian Cree painter, who resided in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. His art and his story have become known throughout Canada. His paintings tell a personal story, and many feature image ...

. It was first published in 2002 by

Raincoast Books Raincoast Books is a Canadian book distribution and wholesale company. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Raincoast was founded by Mark Stanton and Allan MacDougall in 1979 as a consignment wholesaler that shared overhead, warehouse space and ...

. A story about a young

Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...

boy, it is based on the memories of the illustrator as told to the author. Allen Sapp received a

Governor General's Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

for the illustrations in 2003.

Plot Summary

A young boy grows up in an average Cree household but has a very special bond with his grandmother. She takes her heritage very seriously and wants to pass the traditions and knowledge down unto her grandson. By doing so, she takes him to his first

pow-wow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an ...

. Through this cultural experience, he learns new things about his ancestry and does so by ways before he could not imagine. For instance, the people who play the drums at this pow-wow share their story through the rhythm and the beats of their drum. Not only does this young boy learn more about his heritage, he learns to look at things in a different perspective and realizes that his family history is all around him.

The author

Author David Bouchard is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Metis Metis or Métis may refer to: Ethnic groups * Métis, recognized Indigenous communities in Canada and America whose distinct culture and language emerged after early intermarriage between First Nations peoples and early European settlers, prima ...

author and has written over fifty works of literature for all ages. Bourchard is also a school teacher and principal, and travels the country speaking on the history of

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

Canadian Identity

David Bouchard reflects the Canadian Identity by travelling several countries and speaks about his language as a Metis. This represents Canadian Identity because he is sharing to multiple people one of Canada's main identity, the Metis language.

The illustrator

The renowned Aboriginal artist, Dr. Allen Sapp, was raised on the Red Pheasant Reserve in Saskatchewan by his grandparents during the 1930s. The

Canada Council for the Arts The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal in ...

press release concerning the Governor-General's Award said: "With narrative paintings of beautiful simplicity, Allen Sapp creates a work of transcendent dignity, powerfully confirming the ties that connect the generations.""Finalists for the 2003 Governor General’s Literary Awards"
The Canada Council for the Arts, October 20, 2003

References

External links

Author's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Song Within My Heart 2002 children's books Books by writers from peoples indigenous to the Americas Canadian picture books Cree culture Governor General's Award-winning children's books Children's books set in Canada Children's books about Indigenous people in Canada