Before Canada: First Nations And First Contacts, Prehistory–1523

by Sheila Nelson

Discusses the geographic regions of Canada and the peoples that lived there before Europeans discovered North America, including how they came to reside there, their social lives and customs, and their first contact with Europeans.

Genres: History

Library Binding

First published September 1, 2005

Reviews

[CanadianReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

An overview of prehistoric Canada that is accessible to Canadian elementary-school students (grades 4-8), Before Canada addresses the theories about the arrival of First Peoples across the Bering Land Bridge and/or along an "ice-free corridor", provides some key details about the three large First Nations groups in early Canada: the Eastern nations, Plains people, and Pacific Coast peoples. The author also provides a relatively short summary of the early European "discovery" of North America, with particular focus on Leif Eriksson and John Cabot. She mentions the possibility that St. Brendan of Ireland may have crossed the North Atlantic in the 6th Century and speaks of some less-known possible, but unlikely, early travelers such as Welsh Prince Madoc (in 1170) and Orkney Island noble Henry Sinclair (in 1398). There are some good maps included, a readable timeline, as well as images of the environment and animals of the new world. I liked new vocabulary being defined right on the page on which it appears, rather than in a glossary that students this age often don't consult. Another nice touch was the author's use of a First Nations myth or legends before the main body of descriptive information about lifestyle, beliefs, and culture of the aboriginal group. Rating 3.5/5