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I Can't Have Bannock but the Beaver Has a Dam

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This beloved Indigenous classic begins when a little boy asks, “Mom, can I have some bannock?” Despite having all the ingredients, Mom can’t make bannock.As the little boy asks “why,” beginning rea...
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  • 07 March 2016
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This beloved Indigenous classic begins when a little boy asks, “Mom, can I have some bannock?” Despite having all the ingredients, Mom can’t make bannock.

As the little boy asks “why,” beginning readers learn about the connections between living things in an ecosystem through the ripple effects of a beaver building a dam.

Children will be eager to chime in as Mom answers the little boy’s questions about the power outage in their community and how it impacts his family. Enjoy Mom’s bannock with your young reader using the recipe in the back of the book.

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Price: $10.99
Pages: 32
Publisher: Portage & Main Press
Imprint: HighWater Press
Publication Date: 07 March 2016
Trim Size: 9.00 X 7.00 in
ISBN: 9781553796626
Format: Paperback
BISACs: JUVENILE FICTION / Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island, JUVENILE FICTION / Cooking & Food, JUVENILE FICTION / Science & Nature / Environment, JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Mammals, Picture storybooks, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Science: Motion, sound, light, energy, Early years: nature and animals, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Freshwater and marine mammals
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Recommended for all elementary school libraries.


— Sharon A. McLennan McCue

The First Lady of Indigenous Broadcasting ...[left] behind a huge legacy and a lasting impact on future Indigenous writers, journalists and her own descendants.

— CBC Podcasts

This cumulative story of why a young boy can't have bannock is pure fun to read. It's wonderful for readers who enjoy If You Give a Mouse a Cookie kind of tales.
Two things I enjoyed about this book include: everyone wins - the boy and the beaver, and there is a recipe for bannock at the back of the book.



This is a great picture book for showing causation and the connection of events. I plan on using this to teach students how everything that they write should be fully supported...a good opening activity (for teachers).



This book is a cute look at the ways many things can be connected, even when they don't seem like they would be, especially the impact humans and animals can have on one another. The simple sketch style artwork is pleasant to look at and easy to follow. The repetitive writing style makes it suitable for children of all ages. Recommended!


— Elizabeth