I Am Not a Number

July 11, 2016
Kacer (The Magician of Auschwitz, also illustrated by Newland) and educator Dupuis unflinchingly recount a story from the childhood of Dupuis’s grandmother, one of some 150,000 Canadian First Nations children relocated to residential schools as part of an assimilation policy. Irene Couchie and two brothers were taken from their family in 1928 to attend a Catholic boarding school. She was assigned a number in lieu of her name, her long hair was unceremoniously cut, and a nun physically abused her for speaking her native language (“even though the red sores had now turned pink, the memory of the punishment had not faded one bit”). The story never shies from the harsh treatment Irene endured, peaking dramatically when the children hide from the agent coming to collect them for a second school year. They were among the lucky ones whose parents took a stand and refused to return them. Most spreads feature a full page of first-person narrative opposite Newland’s somber watercolors. An afterword discusses Canada’s history with the residential school program (and recent government apologies for it) and provides additional details about her grandmother’s life. Ages 7–11.

October 1, 2016

Gr 4-6-A spotlight on the injustice of Canada's residential school program based on Dupuis's grandmother's childhood experience. The story begins in medias res: the front door is open, and a gruff white man is demanding that Irene Couchie's parents hand over their children-now "wards of the government." Couchie and her two brothers are taken from their home on Nipissing First Nation to attend a residential boarding school many miles away. Couchie learns that names are not allowed at this school; she becomes number 759. Subdued illustrations assist in setting the overall serious tone. The facial expressions of Couchie throughout the year bring the raw hopelessness of the situation to light. Many scenes are alarming; for example, Sister Mary is shown cutting a crying Couchie's hair off. After the kids return home for the summer, Couchie's parents vow to hide their children from the government and the "Indian Agent" sent to recollect them. Back matter contains material on Canada's residential school system, which "educated" indigenous peoples, and the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission condemning the practice in 2015. Dupuis also provides more information about her grandmother. VERDICT Pair this recommended selection with Nicola I. Campbell's Shi-shi-etko for students learning about the boarding school system.-Amy Zembroski, Indian Community School, Franklin, WI

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2016
When the Indian agent comes for Irene and her brothers, their parents reluctantly give them up to be taken to one of Canada's infamous residential schools.At the school, Irene is separated from her brothers, scrubbed, shorn, and assigned a number: 759. When she and another girl exchange words in Ojibwa, a nun punishes Irene for speaking "the devil's language." The punishment is horrifying: she is made to hold a bedpan filled with hot coals. The year passes slowly, chapel preferable to chores and lessons, especially as she can see her brothers there. At home the next summer, Irene tells her father, the community's chief, about the "lessons" taught at "that horrible place"--and when the Indian agent comes again in the fall, the children hide while he tells the agent, "You will NEVER. TAKE MY CHILDREN. AWAY. AGAIN!" By the time readers get to this place in the story, they will have gotten past the stiff beginning and occasional overwriting and will be as relieved as Irene at their rescue. Newland's watercolors capture the warmth of this Anishinaabe family and the austerity of the boarding school; the scene in which Irene's father stares down the agent will have children cheering. Dupuis and Kacer base the story on the experiences of Dupuis' grandmother, and they provide further information on the residential schools in an author's note. A moving glimpse into a not-very-long-past injustice. (Picture book. 7-11)

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Starred review from September 15, 2016
Grades 2-5 *Starred Review* While chapter books about Indian boarding schools are available, if not plentiful, few picture books deal with the issue. Dupuis and Kacer's story, based on Anishinaabe-Ojibway Dupuis' family experience, is a welcome addition and should be particularly useful when teaching the history of the wrongs done to Native Americansin this case, the First Nations of Canada. In the 1930s, eight-year-old Irene is forcibly removed from her life on Nipissing First Nation to attend a Catholic boarding school. The experience is harrowing: her hair is cut, use of her native tongue results in gruesome punishments, and she is not allowed to communicate with her family. Finally, her name is taken away, and she is known merely by a dehumanizing number. Her joy at returning home for the summer is palpable, and her father vows his children will not go back, despite the demands of the government's Indian agent. An afterword explains the residential school system and Dupuis' personal history. Newland's illustrations zero in on the details that will stick with young readers: the scissors about to clip Irene's hair, the meager food, Irene's face after her hideous punishment. When home, her world is brighter, as symbolized by her yellow dress, white laundry on a clothesline, and the golden fields around her house. This well-done, empathetic historical book is highly recommended for all collections.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2017
The author shares a story based on her grandmother Irene's experience in an Indian residential school in Ontario, Canada. Taken away from her family, Irene suffers emotional trauma and abuse at the hands of Christian missionaries. Featuring powerful watercolor and ink illustrations, a straightforwardly told first-person narrative of resistance and strength. Author's note included.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)