Yellowknife (Apr 05/06) - Keeping traditional stories alive is what it's all about for children in the North.

The first Dual Language Children's Illustrators Workshop took place last week at the Yellowknife Inn.

Isabelle Boucher, 16, holds the art she made for her book the Raven and the Duck. She took part in the Dual Language Children's Illustrators Workshop at the Yellowknife Inn last week. The event involved artists, elders and students all learning the craft of creating children's books. - Jessica Gray/NNSL photo

"It started out as a small idea - getting local artists to learn how to illustrate for commercial children's books," said Dianne Lafferty, aboriginal language and culture co-ordinator for Yellowknife Catholic Schools (YCS).

Her original idea was to give Dene children story books that they could directly relate to in the Dogrib language classes.

But from there it expanded bigger than Lafferty had hoped, joining artists from across the NWT and the south with students from both Yellowknife school districts.

Funding for the workshop was provided by YCS, Yk Education District No. 1, the Department of Education, Culture, and Employment, as well as from the federal government.

The purpose of the week-long workshop was to show artists how to create a children's book, from start to finish, in English and aboriginal languages.

More than 40 artists, adults and students participated.

"Publishing books is more complicated than people think," said Anita Large, publishing manager for Theytus Books, the third largest aboriginal publishing house in Canada. She was one of the facilitators of the workshop. "Our goal is to teach the process to visual artists who have never done a book on what they need to think about."

Many artists have never teamed up with anyone, or don't realize that there's more to an illustrated book than just art, she said.

Elders were invited to attend to help artists create the traditional legends passed down orally for generations.

After creating cover art, groups of younger students critiqued the work on display.

"I thought the workshop was really cool," said St. Patrick high school student Isabelle Boucher, 16. She chose to illustrate a legend called The Raven and the Duck.

She found the critiques helpful and although she's not interested in illustrating books, she enjoyed learning how to paint.

Yellowknife artist Peter John said will try to create his own children's book about living on the land, incorporating everything he had learned at the workshop.

"I grew up living on the land. My dad would take me trapping and hunting," he said.

Education Minister Charles Dent attended the last day and saw artists present their work and share the lessons they felt were most important.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for a lot of people to keep their culture alive in books and art," Dent said.

Lafferty is hoping to get some of the Yellowknife artists' books published and distributed nationally.