I Can't Have Bannock But the Beaver Has a Dam - by Bernelda Wheeler (Paperback)

About the Book

This beloved Indigenous classic begins when a little boy asks, "Mom, can I have some bannock?" Despite having all the ingredients, Mom can't make bannock.

Children will be eager to chime in as Mom answers the little boy's questions about the power outage in their community and how it impacts his family. Includes a bannock recipe!

Book Synopsis

This beloved Indigenous classic begins when a little boy asks, "Mom, can I have some bannock?" Despite having all the ingredients, Mom can't make bannock.

As the little boy asks "why," beginning readers learn about the connections between living things in an ecosystem through the ripple effects of a beaver building a dam.

Children will be eager to chime in as Mom answers the little boy's questions about the power outage in their community and how it impacts his family. Enjoy Mom's bannock with your young reader using the recipe in the back of the book.

Review Quotes

The First Lady of Indigenous Broadcasting ...[left] behind a huge legacy and a lasting impact on future Indigenous writers, journalists and her own descendants.--CBC Podcasts "CBC"

Recommended for all elementary school libraries.

--Sharon A. McLennan McCue "CM Association"

This book is a cute look at the ways many things can be connected, even when they don't seem like they would be, especially the impact humans and animals can have on one another. The simple sketch style artwork is pleasant to look at and easy to follow. The repetitive writing style makes it suitable for children of all ages. Recommended!

--Elizabeth "The Feminist Bibliothecary"

This cumulative story of why a young boy can't have bannock is pure fun to read. It's wonderful for readers who enjoy If You Give a Mouse a Cookie kind of tales.
Two things I enjoyed about this book include: everyone wins - the boy and the beaver, and there is a recipe for bannock at the back of the book.

-- "Dickens Library"

This is a great picture book for showing causation and the connection of events. I plan on using this to teach students how everything that they write should be fully supported...a good opening activity (for teachers).

-- "Daniel, Goodreads"

About the Author

Bernelda Wheeler (1937-2005) was an author, poet, journalist, actor, broadcaster and social activist, perhaps best known for her work on CBC Radio's "Our Native Land." For her pioneering work in media and literary circles, she was awarded the Order of Canada (1991) and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Anskohk Aboriginal Literacy Festival (2005). Her children's books explore the importance of relationships to the land, as well as traditional Indigenous knowledge passed from generation to generation.