Stolen Words

A young girl asks her grandfather what the word for grandfather is in Cree in this poignant picture-book examination of the cross-generational legacy of Canada's residential schools for First Nations people. He is forced to explain that he doesn't know - his words were stolen from him when he was still a young boy, sent off to an abusive institution where he was punished for speaking his own language. Sad and concerned, the little girl takes steps to help him regain what was taken from him...

Winner of the Second Story Press Aboriginal Writing Contest, Stolen Words was inspired by author Melanie Florence's relationship with her own grandfather, who was Cree. Like Nicola Campbell's picture-books about the residential school experience, show more Shi-shi-Etko and Shin-chi's Canoe, it addresses some very un-gentle realities in a gentle way, making it a good introduction to this troubling aspect of Canadian (and American) history. The hopeful ending, in which the granddaughter helps her grandfather to begin to regain what he has lost, hints at the idea that the younger generation might be able to undo some of the cultural damage done by the residential schools. The artwork by Gabrielle Grimard is absolutely lovely, with a subtle and very appealing color palette, and expressive faces on both nôsisim (granddaughter) and nimosôm (grandfather). Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about the indigenous experience in Canada, and the residential school experience specifically. show less

This is a powerful and beautiful picture book about how language was stolen from Canada’s indigenous children at church-run residential schools, which sought to “beat the Indian out of the Indian.” With its text appropriately written in Plains Cree (followed by English), the book tells the story of a little First Nations girl who is delighted to run home to show her beloved grandfather the dream catcher she has made at school. She wants to call him by the Cree name for grandfather, but he cannot tell her. He explains—and the accompanying illustrations beautifully and symbolically communicate—that his words were stolen by the Catholic brothers in the cold lonely place he was taken to as a child. In a touching development, the show more little girl resolves to do something so that her grandfather’s words can be restored to him.

I found this a profoundly moving piece, focusing as it does on the importance of language and the bond between grandparents and grandchildren. Genuine hopefulness about the future is communicated.

I hope this book will make its way onto the Ontario Library Association’s Silver Blue Spruce Picture Book Awards. It is a lovely and worthy addition to the growing body of works for children about indigenous experience. show less

Stolen Words tells the story of a young girl who asks her grandfather to teach her their Cree language. He explains that the words were taken from him when he was forced to attend residential school, where he was not allowed to speak his language. Together, they begin a journey of reclaiming those words, carrying both pain and hope. The book shows how language is deeply tied to identity, culture, and healing across generations.

This book was my most anticipated book from last weekend's Word on the Street Toronto event. I had the pleasure to meet Melanie Florence, although briefly and picked up a copy of her beautiful book for our shelves.
Stolen Words is the story of a Grandfather and his Nôsisim. She wants him to teach her his language, Cree. The problem is Grandpa's words were stolen a long time ago when he was sent away to a school where he was punished for using his words. The next day the little girl comes home with a worn paperback called Introduction to Cree to share with her Nimosôm. Now he can teach her his words.
Word of warning, you will probably want to give this one a good read through a few times before sharing it as it is a highly emotional show more story, but so perfect for our youngest learners. I would share it with children in Pre-K and up. Gabrielle Grimard's illustrations are haunting and beautiful and convey the darkness and light of the story. It's the perfect story to share today and every day to let our children know, at their comprehension level, about Canada's past so that we can move towards a better future for every child. show less

A young girl asks her grandfather how to say a word in his native language, Cree. He can't remember, but does remember the trauma of being forced to forget it in a boarding school for native children. The girl sees her grandfather hurting and decides to help by bringing him a book about Cree language. He remembers his mother, he remembers the words, and he thanks his granddaughter.
This book is beautiful. It tackles trauma in a way that children can really wrap their heads' around. The granddaughter sees her grandfather hurting and she wants to take the hurt away. The grandfather is able to process his trauma with the help of his granddaughter. It talks about boarding schools for native children, something I never learned about in show more elementary school. Horrible places they were sent and forced to learn english and forget their native languages. It uses beautiful imagery to represent language and identity. An emotional and invaluable read. show less

I love the art in this one, and the way it talks about residential school programs that forbade indigenous people from speaking their native languages in an age-appropriate way.

A short but extremely powerful book about the impact on the residential schools not only on the children that lived in them, but on the future generations. A young girl asks her grandfather how to say Grandfather in Cree, his native language. Unfortunately, he does not know. When he was forced to live and attend the residential schools, his language was taken from him. He very simply states how this happened and you can not help but feel his pain, both physical and emotional. His granddaughter wants to help him regain the Cree language and finds him an old Cree dictionary and they learn together. This is a very moving story. It is simple, yet powerful. This is a dark spot on Canadian History which is just beginning to be recognized and show more spoken about openly. An excellent book to be in every school library to share this experience and learn from it. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. show less