A poem written more than two decades ago has become a new children’s book by Campbell River educator Anne Tenning.

Tenning, the Campbell River School District’s Director of Indigenous Education, first wrote I Am Indigenous after meeting young students who felt disconnected from their cultures and languages.

The book reminds young people that there is no single way to look, live or grow up as an Indigenous person. Its central message is that Indigenous identity remains meaningful regardless of where someone lives, what they look like or how much cultural knowledge they possess.

I Am Indigenous features artwork from 13 Indigenous illustrators across North America and is accompanied by a free teacher’s guide for classroom learning.

Tenning will share the book with local students around the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

She will also read from it during Words at the Theatre on October 30.

Copies are available locally through Coho Books in Campbell River.