Every Child Matters (Shuswap) - by Phyllis Webstad (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Read the bestselling children's book Every Child Matters in Secwepemctsín, the Shuswap language. Approved by the author, Phyllis Webstad, and translated by Tracy Thomas, with the assistance of Secwépemc (Shuswap) Elder Rose Wilson, to ensure cultural safety and authenticity.

With the intention to assist in language preservation while making cultural stories more accessible to Indigenous Peoples, this series of translated books promote the learning of Indigenous languages for all ages with the help of popular and familiar stories.

Learn the meaning behind the phrase, Every Child Matters((TM)). Phyllis Webstad offers insights into this heartfelt movement which honours the history and resiliency of Indigenous Peoples on Turtle Island and moves us all forward on a path toward Truth and Reconciliation. If you're a Residential School Survivor or an Intergenerational Survivor -- you matter. For the children who didn't make it home -- you matter. The child inside every one of us matters. Every Child Matters.

About the Author

In 2018, Phyllis Webstad launched her children's book called "The Orange Shirt Story" to share her story in her own words. The Orange Shirt Story tells the story of young Phyllis going to residential school where her orange shirt was taken away on the first day, never to be seen again. A simple orange shirt has become a conversation starter for all aspects of Residential School across Canada and beyond.

Phyllis has inspired thousands and thousands of people to honour Residential School Survivors and their families and share the call on September 30th of each year that "EVERY CHILD MATTERS."

Phyllis is well respected for her work as an ambassador for the Orange Shirt Day, her courage and for striving to heal our communities and Nation through speaking her truth.

Karlene Harvey is Tsilhqot'in and Syilx and grew up on territories of the Semiahmoo and Kwantlen Nations. She studied at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, earning a BFA in Visual Arts. Representation is important to her, she likes to consider how she can include varying forms of representation within the work that she does. Karlene currently lives on the unceded and ancestral home territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tseil-Waututh people.