What Is Truth, Betsy? - (Seven Teachings Stories) by Katherena Vermette (Paperback)

About the Book

When her class learns about the teaching Truth, Miskwaadesi doesn't understand and asks her teacher for help. In this thoughtful story, an Anishinaabe girl explores the meaning of Truth and what she knows is true about the world she lives in. A pronunciation guide for the Anishnaabemowin words can be found at the back of the book.

Book Synopsis

Miskwaadesi is learning so much in school. She is learning about the world she lives in and what it means to be a part of it. However, when her class learns about the teaching Truth, Miskwaadesi doesn't understand. Her teacher Betsy asks Miskwaadesi to think about what is in her life and what she knows to be true. Miskwaadesi knows she is a girl and that she is Anishinaabekwens. Together, they explore what the teaching Truth is about.

In this thoughtful story, an Anishinaabe girl explores the meaning of Truth and what she knows is true about the world she lives in. A pronunciation guide for the Anishnaabemowin words can be found at the back of the book.

Rich in culture and grounded in traditional knowledge, Katherena Vermette's The Seven Teachings Stories series features themes of love, wisdom, humility, courage, respect, honesty, and truth. Contemporary Indigenous children explore the Seven Teachings of the Anishinaabe through stories of home and family that will look familiar to all young readers in these books for ages 3-5.

Review Quotes

Katherena Vermette's The Seven Teachings Stories series is a collection of books that holds all the qualities children's literature can have; her tales are educational, joyous, vivid, and have an irresistible cadence. But the stories have something more. Rich in culture and traditional knowledge, Katherena's series addresses important topics--such as the residential school system--with the very teachings the series embodies: love, respect, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility, and truth.

--David A. Robertson, author When We Were Alone

About the Author

Katherena Vermette is a Métis writer of poetry, fiction, and children's literature. Her first book, North End Love Songs (The Muses' Company) won the 2013 Governor General Literary Award for Poetry. She is the author of a new series of graphic novels from HighWater Press, A Girl Called Echo. Her poetry and fiction have appeared in several literary magazines and anthologies, including Manitowapow: Aboriginal Writings from the Land of Water. Her first novel The Break is a National Bestseller and a 2016 Governor General's Literary Award Finalist. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of British Columbia, and lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.