Titled “Carney the Beaver and the Power of the Small,” the book introduces children to complex ideas such as cooperation, rules, and collective problem-solving through an engaging animal fable. Inspired by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's widely discussed address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, the story reframes global economic tensions as a relatable lesson about standing up to bullies without resorting to force.

Written by Métis educator Sean Thompson, the book follows “Carney the Beaver,” who faces a threatening Lion that ignores shared rules and uses intimidation. Instead of fighting back, the Beaver builds alliances, creates “buyer's clubs,” and engages in focused dialogue—demonstrating constructive alternatives to conflict that children can understand and apply in their own lives.

While designed as an easy introduction for young readers, the book operates on two levels. For children, it offers a simple moral framework about fairness, cooperation, and courage. For adults, it serves as gentle political satire, reflecting real-world debates about tariffs, power imbalances, and the importance of a rules-based international order.

“Children are constantly navigating unfairness and bullying in their own worlds,” said Thompson. “This book helps them see that strength doesn't always mean aggression—and that working together can change outcomes, even when facing someone bigger.”

“Carney the Beaver and the Power of the Small” is subtitled “Helping Children Make Sense of the World for a Better Future” and is positioned as an educational tool for families and classrooms seeking to introduce global citizenship concepts in an age-appropriate way.

About the Author

Sean Thompson is a Métis Canadian educator based in Tokyo, Japan. His work focuses on helping children understand complex global and social issues through storytelling and education.

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• This book shares the likely-to-become historical speech by Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney's, speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos in an accessible way for youngsters

• Support children in making a better future through simple “standing up to bullies” as instruction in larger global concepts

• The world has a bullying “Lion” threatening tariffs and ignoring rules. Carney the Beaver has other plans

• Two levels of meaning simultaneously: education for our future/political satire for adults

• A Metis educator in Tokyo has turned this geopolitical struggle into a story about a Beaver who builds “Buyer's Clubs” and “focused talks” instead of fighting

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