Richard Wagamese, an Ojibwe from the Wabaseemoong First Nation, was one of North America's foremost Indigenous writers. The first book in the Richard Wagamese Storybook Collection, The Animal People Choose a Leader (D&M Kids), was his first children's book. His bestselling novels include Indian Horse, which earned an array of awards and was made into a feature film. He was also the author of highly praised works such as Embers and One Story, One Song, winner of the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature. Wagamese was recognized with a National Aboriginal Achievement Award and the Writers’ Trust of Canada’s Matt Cohen Award. He died in 2017 in Kamloops, British Columbia.