This series introduces children to the basic principles of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Each story is set in a different province or territory and addresses topics such as racism, sexism, aboriginal rights, and religious freedom, relating them to the laws that prevent discrimination based on these differences.
The series seeks to empower children by providing them with a basic awareness of their rights and by fostering a respect for fundamental Canadian values. A few Canadian provinces have already approved this series as a curriculum resource.
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Ages: 6+
Language: English / French
ISBN (soft cover): 978-1-926776-99-6
ISBN (hard cover): 978-1-926776-98-9
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
“This series is dedicated to the children of Canada.”
- Dustin Milligan
Dustin Milligan is a native of Tyne Valley, Prince Edward Island. He received a bachelor’s degree with double honours in history and political science from the University of Ottawa, and degrees in civil law and common law from McGill University. He has worked in the field of constitutional advocacy and litigation in Canada, South Africa, and Burma. He was called to the bar of Prince Edward Island in 2011.
Dustin Milligan (BCL/LLB’10) has been writing a charming children’s book series on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which draws inspiration from Supreme Court of Canada decisions and is geared to help teaching grades three to five.
“I had the idea when I was in my first-year of law school,” recalls the PEI native, now a litigator in Toronto. “I was a part of the Human Rights Working Group, and we went into schools to discuss rights and freedoms. One problem I noticed was that teachers had very few resources for this. So I took it upon myself to produce some.”
ABOUT THE SERIES
Nine-year-old Alexander the Grape dreams of becoming Oh-Grape Juice. But the Maturity Rule does not allow grapes to be considered before they reach age 10. Alexander and his friends get involved in the local election campaign. Will they be successful in getting the rule changed so they can become Oh-Grape Juice in the fall?
Thanadel, a Canadian goose, and her family have been migrating south from the Northwest Territories for centuries. When a flock of crows moves in on the migrators’ resting grounds, the geese are forced off their land and struggle to survive. Will the flock be able to make peace with the crows and live in harmony?
In the vines of Leamington, Ontario, lives Anne, a green tomato. Every day at the market, the red tomatoes are set out on display. When there is a shortage of red tomatoes, the veggislature orders that green tomatoes be painted red to fill the basket at the market. Anne must learn to outsmart the veggislature or be caught and painted for the market.
In St. John’s Harbour, Newfoundland, Aatma the cod is banished from his school for wearing a golden hook. This accessory holds significant symbolic value to followers of Newfinism, Aatma’s religion. For the other fish in the harbour, hooks are a symbol of danger. Aatma’s classmates plead with their teacher to make Aatma remove his hook or leave school.
The Calgary Stampede is home to many cows and bulls who work hard all summer to entertain tourists. Eva loves watching her mother give rides to children. When Eva learns that her mother is being paid much less than the bulls, she makes her voice heard. Will rallying the community draw enough attention from City Stall to change this unfair practice?
Sam HusGee is determined to prove his athletic might but the dogsledding administration doesn’t want a grey dog to lead the team. Perhaps when trainer Dogavan Bailey works his magic, the administrator and the community will have second thoughts about Sam’s abilities—and all grey dogs for that matter!
After an oil deposit is found in a town on Hudson’s Bay, Nunavut, the mayor sees his chance to get rich. He becomes consumed with greed, ignoring the voices of his community. In an effort to continue the oil project, he imposes the Two-Bears Rule. This rule prevents the bears from meeting to protest the oil project. Will the bears find a way to overcome this rule?
Aliya is an avid painter who loves expressing her creativity through art. But when her town of Shediac, New Brunswick is overrun by the Lob-Mob, she must use her talents as a visual artist to challenge the crabby gang that has a rule of silence imposed on everyone in the town. It is up to Aliya to use her talents as a visual artist to challenge the Lob-Mob and restore the town’s freedoms.
The Castor Family runs a successful bagel shop in Montreal. One morning, a mysterious Miracle Bagel is pulled from the oven but it soon disappears. The city is turned upside down in the Castor Cops’ efforts to locate the bagel and expose the thief. The beavers of Montreal, who are being searched with no respect for their privacy, are outraged!
In a small warehouse, the potatoes are gearing up for the Potato Blossom Festival. The “Best Friends Rule” prohibits Taylor and Jordan from being best friends. The Potato Blossom Ball is approaching, and Taylor wants to take Jordan. Will the other potatoes open their hearts and allow the friendship to blossom?
The passionate and musical moose Noah is confronted with discrimination based on his appearance when he tries to audition for Moose Jaw Idol. Driven by the inspiring music and careers of Canadian music stars such as Alanis Moosette, Noah is compelled to tell his story and raise awareness about the discrimination to which he is subjected!
Just outside of Winnipeg, there lived herds of athletes on the prairie. Bisonesse, the leader of the prairie, is taking over all the fields on the prairie in order to play hoofball! First, the soccer players are hoofcuffed and taken to the Bison Pen. Then it’s the lacrosse players. Will there be any bisons left to speak up to Bisonesse?
Bario's family is French-Canadian. In the hockey-loving blueberry patch of Oxford, most of the blueberries speak English. While the rest of his hockey team is excited about making it to the Stemley Cup finals, Bario has the blues. He is worried that he is slowly losing his ability to speak in French. How can Bario protect his language and culture in Oxford?
A raccoon named Arahkun travels all the way to Ottawa along with a group of young Canadians to tour Parliament Hill. Things quickly get out of control. With a pounding headache, Arahkun tries to get away. She stumbles upon a secret room where she finds Sir John Owl MacDonald, John Beefenbaker, and Hare Trudeau eating poutine, and ends up learning the most important lesson of all.
REVIEWS
Review by Lucienne Béatrice Koua Dubé, EAO, teacher, Gabrielle-Roy school, Conseil scolaire Viamonde, Toronto.
AN UNUSUAL THRILL ON PARLIAMENT HILL
BY DUSTIN MILLIGAN, ILLUSTRATIONS BY MEREDITH LUCE
You have a noisy class in which certain students do not follow instructions or the school’s rules? Here is a resource you mind find useful. An Unusual Thrill on Parliament Hill is part of a 14 book series, The Charter for Children. With its playful characters, including Olivia the raccoon, the author makes students from 9 to 11 years old aware of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, whose concept can be complex and hard to understand. In this book, Olivia, while visiting Parliament Hill with a tiresome group of students, ends up in a room where former Canadian ministers are gathered, Sir John A. Machouettald, namely! The great man reminds her that our rights will only be respected if certain limits are. In relation to this book, you could organize, with your students, a brainstorming activity: ask them to name some rights and freedoms or to write a paragraph on their opinion of the book. In social studies, you can create opposing teams: those who militate for a right and those who think that, for a good protection, certain limits must be respected.