Aggie & Mudgy: The Journey of Two Kaska Dena Children is a heartfelt story authored by Wendy Proverbs, an Indigenous writer with Kaska Dena heritage. Wendy holds a master's degree in Anthropology from the University of Victoria. The book is wonderfully illustrated by Alyssa Koski. Proverbs tells a fictional story from her heart about two Kaska Dena sisters, inspired by her late mother and aunt, and weaves a story of a personal history weighed down by the effects of colonialism and residential school. However, this story is not an account of what happens to them at the residential school. Instead, it depicts the journey to get there (Lejac Residential School in Fraser Lake, BC) from Daylu near the BC–Yukon border. Throughout the story, Proverb weaves in historical facts and geographical places that help the reader understand the world the two sisters must navigate, sparking excellent discussion points for young readers

Other End Matter: Includes a page for suggested reading
Images: b&w illustrations
Contributor Affiliation: Author Wendy Proverbs (Kaska Dena), Illustrator Alyssa Koski
Bibliography: Yes
Index: No

Source: Books BC - BC Books for Schools & Indigenous Books for Schools

Wendy Proverbs is an emerging Indigenous author of Kaska Dena descent. She holds a BA and MA in anthropology from the University of Victoria. Like thousands of Indigenous people across Canada, as an infant she was caught in the sweeping scoop of Indigenous children taken from their birth families and was only reunited with biological family members as a young adult. She has acted as a community liaison with Indigenous communities and strives to help younger generations, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, learn more about their past.

Wendy Proverbs' profile page

• Winner, Jeanne Clarke Regional History Award
• Short-listed, First Nations Communities READ Award
• Winner, City of Victoria Children's Book Prize
• Nominated, Rocky Mountain Book Award

“In Aggie and Mudgy, Wendy Proverbs skillfully weaves a story that invites young readers to engage in a learning experience articulated within a structure reflective of traditional storytelling. Proverbs’s story not only provides insight into the reality of the removal of children to residential schools, but also gives insights and examples of Kaska Dena culture and traditions. These characters will stay with young readers and inspire them to embark on further learning.”
—Michelle Good, award-winning author of Five Little Indians

“Aggie and Mudgy is a beautiful book. This story captures the warmth of family, then the heartbreak of a family, and finally comes full circle to the love in a family. The new sights and experiences on their journey keep one interested. The ending made me cry in a good way. I highly recommend this book.”
—Bev Sellars, author of They Called Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at an Indian Residential School

"This title definitely helps to fill in the gaps for all Canadians about the history of residential schools, and the many miles away from their own families and communities that some children were forced to travel to get there. It is also a powerful demonstration to the importance of connecting (or reconnecting) to kin, community and culture."
—Canadian Children's Book News, Winter 2021

“An important recounting of the Dene experience where children were removed from their families and taken impossibly great distances to residential schools. Aggie and Mudgy highlights how imperative it was for even the very young, such as these two Kaska Dena girls, to become their own heroes. An example of the enduring legacy of intergenerational memory and of honouring and keeping the stories of these children alive.”
—Christy Jordan-Fenton, co-author of Fatty Legs: A True Story