Welcome to New France: Relationships with Aboriginal First Nations is one of the titles in Beech Street Books six volume series that addresses the early history of Canada from the 1500s to the 1800s. Designed for junior level readers each title is divided into six chapters approximately two pages in length. Readers will gain a basic knowledge of the history, exploration, settlement and way of life in the land that became known as Canada. Several of the titles contain content about First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. In the volume about Aboriginal Peoples in New France students in grades 4 and 5 Social Studies will learn about the European peoples who came in contact with First Nations and the wealth of knowledge shared by the Original Peoples of Eastern Canada. Early chapters describe the economic trade between the newcomers and Indigenous Peoples, their alliances, efforts in survival for the Indigenous Peoples due to foreign diseases brought by the newcomers, and the role of spiritual traditions. This volume lists three types of spiritual traditions for Indigenous Peoples: Sunrise and Sunset Prayers, the Sacred Fire, and the powwow. The book contains simply written text illustrated with maps, charts, contemporary photographs and paintings. Each book has brief sidebars of additional details about a topic along with a glossary of terms, a suggested reading list, and a helpful index. Overall this volume is a useful introduction for students studying the early history of European contact and Indigenous Nations in Eastern Canada including the Mi’kmaq, Iroquois, Huron, Wendat, and Algonquin. A minor point about terminology in the title may confuse some readers. Aboriginal Peoples refers to First Nation, Inuit, and Metis. The title did not require the inclusion of Aboriginal. The publisher could have simply used Relationships with First Nations. Recommended.
