The Train is a compelling account of the residential school experience that draws the reader in with its exquisite pacing and convincing details, connecting readers to a people, time, and place. The reader cannot help but sense the weight of the grandfather’s memory, pain, and hope. Educators will appreciate this resource as a story, as support for learning about the impact of residential schools, and as support for social emotional learning. It is an undeniably effective introduction to learning about the impact of residential schools and can lead to a desire to learn more. Readers will also connect with Ashley and her grandfather, sharing the girl’s empathy for her grandfather’s pain and sharing his hope for the return of what they lost. | Winner of the Mi’gmaq Writers Award 2010 and the Second Story Press Indigenous Writing Contest; shortlisted for the Silver Birch Express Award 2021.

32 pp., 8.5 × 8.5", colour illustrations

Jodie Callaghan (Mi’gmaq, Listuguj First Nation in Gespegewa’gi) • Georgia Lesley, illus.

Source: Association of Book Publishers of BC - Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools (2021-2022)

Jodie Callaghan is from the Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation in Gespe’gewa’gi (Quebec). She started writing stories when she was 8 years old and has always been drawn to story-telling. She has found writing to be the best way to connect to her history and her culture. Jodie currently resides in Northern New Brunswick with her husband, child, and pets. When she’s not teaching, she is very slowly chipping away at her Masters of Education degree from UNB and dreaming up stories she will one day write.

Jodie Callaghan's profile page

Georgia Lesley is a Canadian-born professional artist and illustrator living in British Columbia's Cariboo region. She began illustrating in 2006 and strives to create a sense of depth, emotion, and visual storytelling, to assist and enhance the written word.

Georgia Lesley's profile page

• Short-listed, Ann Connor Brimer Award for Atlantic Canadian Children's Literature
• Short-listed, Forest of Reading - Silver Birch Express
• Long-listed, OLA Best Bets
• Commended, From Sea to Sea: Celebrating Indigenous Picture Books - IBBY
• Commended, CCBC - Best Books for Kids and Teens - Fall
• Commended, American Indians in Children's Literature's Best Books of the Year

“Through Uncle's story, Callaghan (Mi'gmaq) presents a harsh topic in a gentle way. Lesley's soft color palette and expressive characters blend beautifully with the story without lifting its heaviness. Keeps a critical memory alive. ”

Kirkus Reviews

"Mi’gmaq author Jodie Callaghan has created a sensitive and flowing text that, in the course of describing a short afternoon’s encounter between a child and an elder, embodies a generation’s suffering. A touching line near the end of the story states, 'I am waiting for what we lost that day to come back to us.' But the hopeful note of Uncle’s pride in his young relatives leaves us waiting for better things too."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"Mi'gmaq storyteller Callaghan recounts this sad episode from Indigenous history using simple, understated text that conveys the lingering pain of this injustice."

Booklist

"The Train is a vital story that helps readers learn about residential schools and intergenerational trauma.”

Toronto Star