When All the Leaves Are Gone

As the only First Nations student in an allwhite 1940s school eightyear old Wato is keenly aware of the hostility towards her She deeply misses the loving environment of the reserve she once called home and her isolation is sharpened by her fathers serious illness When Watos teacher reads from a history book describing First Nations peoples as ignorant and cruel it aggravates her classmates prejudice Shy and vulnerable Wato becomes the target of their bullying and abuse Alone in her suffering she finds solace and strength in the protective world of her magical dreams