For two years, Ellis traveled across the United States and Canada interviewing Native children. The result is a compelling collection of interviews with children aged nine to eighteen. They come from all over the continent, from Iqaluit to Texas, Haida Gwaai to North Carolina, and their stories run the gamut; some heartbreaking; many others full of pride and hope.

Kenai, a young Native American boy who wants to be a man, sets out to take revenge after his older brother is killed by a mother bear protecting her cubs. When Kenai finds himself magically transformed into the creature he hates most, a bear, he must literally walk in another's footsteps while learning some life lessons. In his quest to return to human form, he is befriended by a talkative bear cub, aided by encounters with two dumb Canadian moose...