Seven Teachings Stories Books in Order

The Seven Teachings Stories are seven short picture books for young children, each built around one of the Anishinaabe Seven Teachings: love, wisdom, humility, courage, respect, honesty, and truth. Written by Katherena Vermette and illustrated by Irene Kuziw, the books are set in contemporary urban communities and follow Indigenous children at home, at school, and with family.

The lessons begin with everyday problems.

In The First Day, Makwa is nervous about starting at a new school and has to find courage. Singing Sisters follows Ma'iingan as pride and sibling rivalry get in the way of sharing music with her little sister. In Kode's Quest, Kode asks relatives what respect means, finding that the answer reaches from family relationships to the natural world and her own sense of self.

Other books take equally familiar situations and give them room to matter. The Just Right Gift follows Migizi as he looks for a way to show love to his grandmother while she is in the hospital. In Amik Loves School, a boy's joyful school stories lead to a tender conversation with his grandfather about residential school. Misaabe's Stories looks at a child whose fantastic tales cover up painful feelings, while What is Truth, Betsy? lets Miskwaadesi think through what she knows to be true about herself and the world.

These are not lectures disguised as stories. The teaching in each book grows out of a child's question, mistake, worry, or hope. Parents, grandparents, siblings, teachers, and friends help the young characters think things through, but the children are active in finding their own answers. That makes the series useful for reading aloud and for starting family or classroom conversations.

Small moments carry the weight here.

The books also offer Indigenous children the simple but important experience of seeing children like themselves in ordinary settings: going to school, visiting grandparents, disagreeing with siblings, and figuring out how to be part of a community. Anishnaabemowin words appear throughout, with pronunciation guides at the back of the books. The stories are gentle, but they do not avoid bigger subjects when a family conversation calls for them.

There is no continuing plot, so the books can be read in any order. Choose a title by the teaching or situation that feels most useful at the moment, then explore the rest. Taken together, the series gives young readers a warm, practical introduction to values that are lived through relationships, care, and everyday choices.