The First Christmas Tree

Ovila Fontaine is an Innu Elder from the community of Uashat mak Mani-Utenam, where he has lived and worked all his life. From an early age he was interested in hunting and life in the forest. When he became a father, he embarked on a quest for his own history and culture. Today Ovila is an accomplished presenter, skilled at explaining the fundamentals of Innu culture and philosophy to the uninitiated. He is often called upon to act as a cultural ambassador for multiple organizations.

Charlotte Parent is an illustrator based in Montreal. In 2017, she obtained her bachelor's degree in fine arts from Concordia University, where she focused on drawing. Passionate about picture books, she now creates illustrations in colored pencil or gouache for children's literature. Charlotte likes to depict the magic of the ordinary in her gentle and playful illustrations. The First Christmas Tree is her second picture book.

Ann Marie Boulanger is a certified translator and owner of Traduction Proteus Inc. When she's not translating commercial texts, she's an accomplished translator of adult and children's literature. Her translation of The Woman in Valencia, by Annie Perreault, was named a World Literature Today Notable Translation of 2021. She's also a part-time lecturer at McGill University and co-founder of LION Translation Academy, which offers business, tech and language training workshops for translators.