Two hundred years after his death, the Shawnee chief Tecumseh is still considered one of the greatest leaders of North America's First Peoples. This richly illustrated biography tells the story of his remarkable life, culminating in the War of 1812.

Tecumseh lived during turbulent times, when the thirteen colonies that were to become the United States had begun to rebel against British rule, and settlers were pushing westward, rapidly encroaching on the traditional lands of the First Peoples. Tecumseh realized that unless the tribes came together to form a great confederacy, they would never be able to hold onto their land. And so he began to travel great distances, encouraging many tribes to join forces with him against the Americans.

On June 18, 1812, the US declared war on Great Britain. Tecumseh sided with the British, hoping to create an independent native state north of the Ohio River. He developed a magnetic friendship with Brock, commander of the British troops, and together they took Fort Detroit. But shortly afterwards Brock was killed in the Battle of Queenston Heights. Tecumseh rallied those loyal to him and fought on relentlessly, but was killed in the Battle of Moraviantown in 1813. Tecumseh's dreams were never fulfilled, but he remains a symbol of justice for the First Peoples of the Americas.

Tecumseh will be published on the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. The book includes an epilogue, a timeline, a glossary and maps.

Richard Rudnicki est réputé pour ses tableaux dépeignant la Nouvelle-Écosse ainsi que pour ses albums jeunesse primés. Richard enseigne le dessin et anime fréquemment des ateliers dans des écoles. Il habite Halifax.

Richard Rudnicki is an artist known for his paintings of Nova Scotia as well as for his award-winning children's books. Gracie, The Public Gardens Duck by Judith Meyrick won the Lillian Sheppard Memorial Award for Excellence in illustration and was finalist for the APMA Best Atlantic Published Book Award. Richard also teaches figure drawing and portraiture and frequently gives school workshops. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Richard Rudnicki's profile page

James Laxer, a professor of political science at York University in Toronto, has a wealth of experience analyzing American society. His best-selling book, Stalking the Elephant: My Discovery of America was described by Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Boston Globe David Shribman as "a book by a Canadian that can change the United States." The book was by published by the New Press in New York under the title Discovering America: Travels in the Land of Guns, God and Corporate Gurus. One of Canada’s leading political thinkers, Laxer is frequently consulted for commentary of current national and global issues by the media. He lives in Toronto.

James Laxer's profile page