A Man Called Raven is a contemporary story about a powerful and mysterious elder who teaches two young Indian brothers about respect for life. The elder tells the boys a story about an old man who hurt ravens and was transformed into a raven as punishment. Every once in a while, the man becomes a man again to teach people that if you hurt any living thing you also hurt yourself because all life is sacred and connected.
This book is an inspired collaboration between George Littlechild, an internationally-acclaimed artist from the Plains Cree Nation of Canada, and Richard Van Camp, a young author from the Dogrib Nation of Canada's Northwest Territories. Although the cultures of these two Nations are very different, Littlechild was so moved by Van Camp's story that he agreed to create his own visual interpretation.
The story takes place in the Northwest Territories, where the northern lights dance, in the traditional lands of the Dogrib and Chipewyan Peoples who are part of the larger Dene nation. As Van Camp describes his home, "It's the jewel of Canada. Starting at the 60th parallel and heading north, that's where paradise is. Come visit!"