Aboriginal author Larry Loyie celebrates 1000 school visits

Aboriginal Author Larry Loyie Celebrates 1000 School Visits

Wednesday, June 9, 2010 marked award-winning Cree author Larry Loyie's 1000th school visit. Larry celebrated the occasion with St Peter Catholic School's Grade 4-5 class in Cambridge, ON.

The eager students wrote individual letters to author Loyie after reading As Long as the Rivers Flow (Groundwood), winner of the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction. Published in 2002, the book is the bestselling story of the author's last traditional summer with his family before residential school. The book is now a classic Aboriginal title, taught in schools and curriculum across Canada.

"I was impressed by the students and their questions about my traditional Aboriginal lifestyle. They wanted to know more about my grandmother's adventure with the biggest grizzly bear in North America, as well as what happened to Ooh-hoo, the owl we cared for as children," said Loyie. "Above all, the wanted to know more about my residential school experience. Their questions were thoughtful and sincere."

Larry Loyie pointed out that his sequel, Goodbye Buffalo Bay (Theytus), takes up where As Long as the Rivers Flow ends. Teacher Michelle Evans and her class look forward to Loyie's next book, The Moon Speaks Cree, coming out in Spring 2011 from Theytus.

"The students were thrilled to meet Larry and his co-presenter Constance Brissenden. Larry answered every question openly and honestly. To get this kind of response from an author was a great ending to our school year," added Evans.

For more on Larry Loyie, his award-winning children's books, residential school resources and study material, see http://www.firstnationswriter.com/