kimotinâniwiw itwêwina / Stolen Words (Cree and English Edition)

Product Description

The dual language edition, in Plains Cree and English, of Stolen Words, the award-winning story of the beautiful relationship between a little girl and her grandfather. When she asks her grandfather how to say something in Cree, he tells her that his language was stolen from him when he was a boy. The little girl then sets out to help her grandfather find his language again. This sensitive and warmly illustrated picture book explores the intergenerational impact of the residential school system that separated young Indigenous children from their families. The story recognizes the pain of those whose culture and language were taken from them, how that pain is passed down, and how healing can also be shared.

Review

“Stolen Words / kimotinaniwiw itwewina” recognizes the pain of those whose culture and language were taken from them, and reveals how that pain is passed down, and how healing can also be shared — making it a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to family, elementary school, and community library bilingual picture book collections for children.” ―
Children’s Bookwatch: The Bilingual Shelf

Book Description

The dual language edition, in Plains Cree and English, of the award-winning story of residential school, Indigenous language loss, and intergenerational healing.

About the Author

Melanie Florence is a Cree/Scottish writer whose books have won several awards. Her book Jordin Tootoo: The Highs and Lows in the Journey of the First Inuk to Play in the NHL was chosen as an Honor Book by The American Indian Library Association. Her first picture book, Missing Nimama, won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. She is also the author of Righting Canada’s Wrongs: Residential Schools. Melanie lives with her husband and two children in Toronto.

Gabrielle Grimard uses various media to research and create the illustrations for a book, but her favorite aspect will always be color. She uses mainly watercolors, gouache and oil. She adds a touch of wooden pencil for the details. She has illustrated dozens of books and has been nominated for several awards. She lives near Sherbrooke, Quebec.

Dolores Sand is a Plains Cree language speaker from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, Saskatchewan.

Gayle Weenie is a Plains Cree language speaker from Sweetgrass First Nation, Saskatchewan.