kimotinâniwiw itwêwina / Stolen Words

By Melanie Florence

Illustrated By Gabrielle Grimard

Translated By Dolores Sand , Gayle Weenie

$14.95

Format

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

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.

Praise & Recognition

"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

Kirkus Reviews' Best Picture Books of 2017 to Give Readers Strength 2017 - Commended

Shelf Awareness Best Picture Books of the Year 2017 - Commended

The Children's Book Review's Best Picture Books of 2017 2017 - Commended

Ontario Library Association's 2018 Best Bets 2018 - Commended

Details

Publication Date: September 10, 2019

Reading Age: 6 - 8

Reading Level: Q

Genre: Picture Book, Children's Fiction

Product Format: Paperback

Pages: 28

ISBN: 978-1-77260-101-5

Key Topics

About the Author

Melanie Florence

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. She has also written the YA novels The Missing, One Night, Rez Runaway, and He Who Dreams. Melanie lives with her husband and two children in Toronto.

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About the Illustrator

Gabrielle Grimard

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.

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