TWO HISTORIES: ONE BEAUTIFUL, ONE SORDID; both reminding us of the importance of teaching our children about our past and how far we’ve come, because of and in spite of it.

For those of us who have wished we had a legacy of tales to pass down, or have yearned for the secrets of the ancient world, Rigoberta Menchu has given us both in The Secret Legacy. In Shin-chi’s Canoe, Nicola I. Campbell brings to light a distasteful history most do not know, telling of the injustices faced by First Nations people forced to attend Indian residential schools that would teach them to forget their ancestry and cultural heritage.

The Secret Legacy takes us deep into the underworld, where granddaughter Ixkem learns from the animal spirits, b’e’n. For grandfather, who, at 100, has decided it is time to entrust his cornfield to Ixkem, Ixkem’s sharing of this knowledge is more than just the assurance that it will live on; it will also bring him the final secret he needs to hear before he closes his eyes for his last and deepest sleep. At only seven, Ixkem has secured the stories of the elders, and has ensured Mayan culture will live on forever in Guatemala.

Like flies on the wall in the b’e’n’s underworld, we learn about the lion’s false pride and the woodcutter’s lesson; the secret mission of each baby’s nahual or animal spirit; the magic of a hummingbird in a childless couple’s life; and the secret of the light in a little girl’s eyes. We are transported through stories.

Suitable for children aged nine to 11, Menchu’s tales are simple, yet their lessons are invaluable, and the vibrant colours of Domi’s illustrations are enchanting. With only seven stories to learn from, I will return to each one to be taken to the Mayan underworld again and again.

In Shin-chi’s Canoe, a two-fold sadness permeates the air on the first day of Indian residential school. Not only must Shi-shi-etko leave Yayah, Mom, Dad, and baby Shultetko for the school year; this year, her younger brother, Shin-chi, must go too. They will have to pretend they do not know each other, and will be known as Mary and David until next summer, when they can return home and be themselves again. The only hope Shi-shi-etko can give her brother, as he holds onto the tiny canoe Dad gave him, is that when the sockeye salmon return, they will, too.

With the turn of each page, we feel the melancholy of separation and loss and the injustice of being forced away from one’s own heritage and traditions. But the hope of the sockeye salmon’s return encourages us to remain optimistic. Children between five and eight will enjoy the simplicity and imagery in this tale, which also gives us a piece of history that, if we do not remember, we may be doomed to repeat.

Rachna Vohra is a poet, writer, and spoken word artist, but there are so many more aspects to her personality, she cannot fit them into three lines. She has been published in various magazines and has performed spoken word across the US and Canada. To find out more about Rachna, visit www.rachnavohra.com.