Louis Riel Day: The Fur Trade Project

by Deborah L Delaronde, Sheldon Dawson (Illustrator)

When a young boy is assigned a project about the fur trade by his teacher, he doesn’t know who to turn to because his mom works all day. With help from his grandfather and the internet, they travel back in time and discover how the fur trade began, a new people emerged, the Métis’ role in the fur trade, Louis Riel and the Red River Resistance, and the reason behind a holiday named Louis Riel Day.

Genres: Nonfiction

32 pages, Hardcover

Published February 9, 2021

Reviews

[Karen Upper · Rating 5 out of 5]

The history of the fur trade, the Metis and Canada come to life in the pages of this wonderful book, published by Theytus Books, written by Deborah L. Delaronde and illustrated by Sheldon Lawson.

A young boy researching a school history project enlists the help of his Grandfather. His once blase attitude about 'history' alters as he digs deeper into the past and discovers the contributions made by the Metis to the growth of the fur trade and Canada.

The vibrant illustrations enhance and propel the lively rhythm of the narrative. This book is unique in its approach to history....it is set to rhyme [a poem], which allows for easy accessibility for a reader of any measure.

Definitions of many of the historical words in the poem can be found at the end.

Highly Recommended !!
Five Stars

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young Metis boy works with his grandfather to research and write a report on Louis Riel and the fur trade. This book and the rich paintings by Sheldon Dawson provide information about the Metis people and this famous Canadian.
I'm not a fan of poetry in picture books. They are hard to do well. Deborah L Delaronde's poem kind of works here, but it interrupted the flow of the story for me.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story about the Metis and their struggle to gain rights to their land. It is extremely well written and the prose is catchy.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a 2.5 for me because the story jumped around a bit and a clear explanation of Louis Riel's actions was lacking. Although it would have been helpful to have more information about the Metis and Louis Riel provided in the story, this book offers some insight into the fur trading industry and how Riel brokered a deal to try to help the Metis keep their land. The history is framed through a story about a young boy whose teacher assigns a research project on fur trading for social studies. He and his grandfather research the topic, travel back in time to observe the happenings, and then he crafts a poem about what he learned. He's able to internalize Riel's actions of standing up for what was right even though he was considered a traitor. While it was important to include vocabulary in the back matter, the book would have been stronger for those of us who lack much understanding of Canadian history with a timeline of events as well as more explanation of the importance of this particular man. While adults will be able to draw their own conclusions about Riel and the Metis, youngsters will need some support in getting there. The colorful, moody illustrations depict the modern day characters being deeply immersed in their research and stops along the way. It's encouraging to find a book that shows history becoming meaningful to a youngster--or being taught in schools today, for that matter.

[Shameen Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book! The story-poem complemented by the beautiful illustrations make this book valuable to young readers. It imparts factual information and an enjoyable reading experience through lyrical poetry. This is a rare combination in a book and especially rare because it is about the history of the Metis people. Bravo to the author and illustrator! Remember to score the 5 out of 5-star review.

[Skip Gagnon-Delaronde · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the way the author has presented factual and historical events about the Metis people in Canadian history for children with the use of rhyme and a story poem. The illustrations compliment and balance the information so that it is easy to read and understand for children ages eight to ten. The author has included a vocabulary builders section at the back of the book. An enjoyable read and a great learning resource.

[Anneke Alnatour · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fictional story, dealing with a non-fiction story in verse was a bit difficult to get into, but it was a great opportunity to discuss the Metis, Metis history and why we don't know much about the Metis.

We started googling a bit afterwards, and I am sure something stuck with the kids...

[emyrose8 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I probably would've enjoyed this book more if I knew who Louis Riel was prior to reading it. The details are a little hazy; the text is written in poem form of a boy doing a report on the fur trade and the Metis community.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grade 3 social studies during lockdown

[Mert Morrisseau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written and a great story. Well done Deborah.