Nanabosho and the Butterflies tells the story of Grandmother explaining to her grandchildren her residential school experience and how the appearance of a butterfly brought her hope and happiness. Grandmother goes on to explain the legend of how the butterfly (memengwak) in the Ojibwe culture came to be and now roams the world bringing wonder and laughter to children.
This book could be used as springboard for a discussion of the importance of culture and traditions in different groups and at the same time educating today's children about Residential Schools by highlighting the need to respect the human rights of all people.
It could also be used as a read aloud example of a legend and the elements that a legend contains. The students could then write their own version of a legend.
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