11 durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, November 24, 2022 | SAVE 64% OFF WEEKEND HOME DELIVERY *Plus HST. Save 64% off the newsstand rate for Saturday and Sunday home delivery. This introductory offer is not available to current Toronto Star subscribers. This offer includes Starweek magazine and complimentary access to the Toronto Star ePaper edition and thestar.com. The NewYork Times International Weekly and Book Review section are not included. Home delivery will continue after the 12-month introductory period at the regular home-delivery rate then in effect. Contact customer service at 1-800-268-9213 or 416-367-4500 to get the regular rate for your area. Payment must be made by credit card only. View our subscriber agreement at thestar.com/agreement and our privacy policy at thestar.com/privacy. Offer expires December 31, 2022. SUBSCRIBE AT: thestar.com/savebig OR CALL: 1-800-268-9213 and quote code CNTS LOW OTHER SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS AVAILABLE CELEBRATING 130 YEARS! 2202 - 2981 $299NOW JUST AWEEK FOR52 WEEKS! Indigenous author David A. Robertson spoke to Durham District School Board students about representation, reconciliation and more. The author said the visit was somewhat cathartic following the temporary removal of his children's novel, "The Great Bear," from school shelves earlier this year. The novel, which is part of his larger "Misewa Saga" series, was removed from school shelves by the Durham District School Board in April following a complaint, but reinstated later that same month after an accelerated review process. "I kind of removed that situation from my head as much as I could," Robertson said of his discussions with students at Uxbridge Public School and Quaker Village Public School on Nov. 2, and Glengrove Public School in Pickering on Nov. 3. "I don't know if it was cathartic, but it was nice to be at the place where that book was taken off and to now be there talking about it and signing books," Robertson continued. "I don't think I would have expected that to happen earlier this year." Robertson spoke to kids about the importance of representation in fiction as well as the importance of reading in general. "Books that represent diversity are important; we can learn a lot from reading books about people in our community or that live near us or people that used to occupy the lands we live on now," he said. "A big part of reconciliation is being able to read books that teach us things and teach us things about each other and the world we live in." Robertson said his "Misewa Saga" series, which includes "The Barren Grounds" and "The Great Bear," received a lot of feedback from parents who said it instilled a love of reading in children who had little interest before. "That really means a lot to me," he said. "I think instilling a love of reading and inspiring children with good stories is the primary thing." The importance of Indigenous voices in children's fiction is also important to Robertson, who will be heading up a new imprint at Penguin Random House focused on new and emerging Indigenous authors. "I think we're seeing a focus to represent Indigenous cultures across Canada and to present accurate, real history and real people and real communities even if it's in fictional worlds," Robertson said. "That representation is very important to me, and each book has a different focus in terms of different things I want to teach, whether it's about land or history or foster care or residential school history. Each book offers something different and if you can get children involved in that world and learning, that's the great thing about books." Robertson also made a stop in Uxbridge to participate in Blue Heron Books' Book Drunkard Festival to discuss his new adult novel, "The Theory of Crows," a story of love, loss and the bonds of family. "Good stories are just as important for adults; they need good stories too," Robertson said of his writing skills, which run from children's fiction to graphic novels to memoirs and anthologies and adult fiction. "I wanted to challenge myself to try different genres of literature for different ages and reach a wider audience because I feel I have important things to say, but also because I want to get better and be as good of a writer as I can be, and you don't do that by being stagnant." For more information visit www.darobertson.ca. A BIG PART OF RECONCILIATION': AUTHOR SPEAKS TO DDSB STUDENTS FOLLOWING BOOK REMOVAL MOYA DILLON mdillon@durhamregion.com NEWS David A. Robertson read a few paragraphs from his book, "On the Trapline," to students at Glengrove Public School in Pickering. Robertson was one of several Indigenous authors who had a book temporarily banned from school libraries by the DDSB last year before being reinstated. Susie Kockerscheidt/Metroland