I was at a conference recently, perusing one of the many bookstores, when I caught sight of an adorable little book. Brightly yellow and red, it was one of the cardboard ones they make so babies can chew on them without tearing the paper. I picked it up, turning it over in my hands. It was a 'First Words' book, but instead of having just English words, it had English, French, and Cree.

I remember standing in that bookstore, turning this book over and over in my hands, looking at this beautiful little book and realising how privileged I really am, and always have been. I'm as white as they come (my skin looks like uncooked chicken, ok?), but I've always had an immense interest, appreciation and reverence for other cultures. Even still, I'd never even thought how lucky I was to grow up with all my books, my precious books, written in my language. My music, in my language. My signs, in my language.

And that is why I love Second Story Press. They are tackling the real issues, and they are tackling them where it counts: through children's books. Stolen Words is my fourth Second Story Press book that I've read, and each of them are absolutely brilliant. They are teaching kids, encouraging kids, and empowering kids to embrace who they truly are, and who their friends truly are.

Stolen Words is a really touching story about a little girl and her grandfather, who was placed in residential school when he was younger, and lost his language as a result. The illustrations through Stolen Words are truly gorgeous, and add to the haunting but evocative nature of the story. It also gives the reader their own introduction to Cree, and ends the story with hope.

Second Story Press and Melanie Florence are on the right track with books like these. Just like that 'First Words' book that I held for a good five minutes in that bookstore, Stolen Words not only educates children, but it also awakens adults like you and me to realise and face parts of ourselves that we didn't know existed. And, really, isn't that what great literature does? Great literature helps us to embrace who we are, and forces us to reconcile and realise who we are not. Stolen Words does exactly that.

As a young girl, my grandmother would speak to us grandchildren in Spanish. She would always ask us to respond to her in the same language. It was her way of preserving home for us. Later I found she was in a rebellion against losing her mother tongue. She grew up in the generation where Spanish was not allowed in public or private schools.

Her hands swelled with blisters when the nuns would ask each child to extend their hands over the desk only to be met with a whip-like slap of a yard stick. English was the only language allowed. The educational system was determined to eradicate the words of the generation which carried Spanish in their bones if they had to beat it out of them.

I don’t remember if my first language was Spanish or English. What I do know is I’ve always been able to read, write, and speak in both languages. I can weave them together like a basket weaver makes baskets to carry the fruit of our labor. That labor has been me birthing a generation that no longer holds Spanish in their bones nor on their skin.

Stolen Words is a powerful account of a little girl and her grandfather. When she asks her grandfather to say something in his mother tongue of Cree, he cannot remember how. He shares with her how it was stolen. Without glossing over the reality of what assimilation costs us, Florence maintains truth while keenly aware of her audience.

The story ends on a hopeful note when the granddaughter helps the grandfather remember his words with a book her teacher helped her obtain. Together, we too learn a few Cree words. My favorite illustrated page is the one with the words flying in the wings of birds released from their cage in the Cree book.

This book is educational, truthful, and dire in preserving the heritage of indigenous people like the Canadian tribe of Cree. I highly recommend it be read to children at any age. It is sure to be a classic.

This beautifully illustrated book is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It will take you on an emotional rollercoaster as Taniki, an adorable little Cree girl, discovers that her beloved grandfather has had all his childhood Cree words stolen from him. She probes and asks how can that be? He reveals to her the pain and suffering he experienced as a little boy when he was taken from his loving home and culture and forced to live in a residential school. He was stripped of everything he had known in his Cree world and forced to obey and live in another completely different world run by white people.

"(They took me) away to a school that was cold and lonely, where angry white faces raised their voices and their hands when we used our words." he answered. "They took our words and locked them away, punished us until we forgot them, until we sounded like them."

The religious stewards of these innocent, helpless, indigenous children proceed to cleanse the "Indian" out of them in barbaric and inexcusable ways. Even relating the details of his daily abuse made grandfather cry. Taniki is so saddened and moved by his story she knows she has to find a way to restore the happiness to her beloved grandfather. Can a little seven year old girl accomplish such a heroic thing all by herself?

Taniki's heart and soul has been deeply touched by his confession and she miraculously finds a way for her grandfather to heal his wounds and to bring a smile back to his face and into his heart.

The story brings to the forefront the pain and suffering these poor children went through and how the slow healing process is still ongoing from their horrific experiences. The story is short but very, very powerful and you wonder how people could be so cruel to treat vulnerable small children with such disdain and inhumanity. I highly recommend this book but be warned... it will make you very, very angry (and sad) at the injustices that are contained within its pages. Why didn't someone stand up and say how these precious children were being treated was totally wrong and seek help for them? Shame.

Author: Melanie Florence Illustrator: Gabrielle Grimard
Ages 6-9 / Grades 1-3
Genre: Picture Book-Realistic Fiction

“How do you say grandfather in Cree?” a little girl asks her grandfather as they walk along. He sadly admits that he has lost his words. Grandfather recalls his experience being taken away from his Indian family as a young boy and made to give up his language and culture in a residential school. Beautiful illustrations depict his memories and the loving relationship he shares with his granddaughter. Hope abounds as the little girl finds a Cree language book in the library and they begin to learn the language together.

This is an amazing book that can spark so many important discussions. Why were the native children forced to convert and assimilate? Though not about immigrants, how does this story relate to the immigrant experience today? I appreciate stories that provoke meaningful conversations among my students. "Stolen Words" promotes empathy and ends with hopeful perseverance.

Curriculum connections:
Discuss the Indian residential schools with older students. What was their purpose?
Learn about the Cree Nation. Which region of the country are they from?
Discuss parallels with today’s immigrant community.

**I received a complimentary e-copy of STOLEN WORDS from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review**

STOLEN WORDS is a delightful, moving story about a seven-year old who, after her grandfather tells her about being punished for speaking Cree as a child and forgetting the language, helps him rediscover the language of his people.

My eyes watered as I read the ending of this special gem. STOLEN WORDS speaks to diversity, prejudice and the importance of intergenerational relationships.

Apr 23, 2017 · edit
really liked it

This book was well written and has lovely illustrations. However, I felt it could have explained the plot a little more thoroughly as unless you knew the story behind the Indian schools, the story can be hard to follow. Most children that are non-native Americans probably are not aware of the context of the Stolen Words.

I loved that the author chose this subject. It would have enriched the story in my opinion to have a little more interaction between the characters once they shared the book. This is a great subject for all children to learn about and I can't wait to read this to my three grandsons and discuss it with them.

This will also make an excellent library book for story time as well as check out. Many primary grade teachers could benefit having a copy in their rooms. I plan to purchase a copy for a favorite teacher's second grade class and another's fourth grade class.

I received this as an ARC from Net Galley. Thank you to Second Story Press and Ms. Florence for the opportunity to review this book.

This is an absolute must purchase for your library's children's collection! The story and the illustrations are breathtaking. A story of an irrevocable loss; the grandfather in the story explains to his granddaughter why he cannot teach her Cree and the images of how the words were stolen from him and his people are stunning and unforgettable. The story ends in hope and there is an impression of peace as the granddaughter and grandfather walk hand in hand. This story will stay with you and should be shared!

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 spoken about openly. An excellent book to be in every school library to share this experience and learn from it.

What an insightful glimpse into the lasting effects of Canada's residential school trauma with cultural genocide! As these stories are told, I hope settlers listen. History is reclaimed here!

This book is both beautiful and sad. With racial tensions high in the US we sometimes forget that we are immigrants. The Native Americans are the true Americans, and our ancestors did unspeakable things, including taking their language and making it illegal. This is the story of a grandfather who can not remember his native language because it was stolen as a child. With the help of his granddaughter he will begin to regain his language once stolen. A poignant book that is very important in the world we currently live.

Added Goodreads
Added Litsy

I was wishing for more pages so the story could continue. Beautiful!

Stolen Words is a moving and vitally important picture-book!

My full review with the illustrations:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1963871086
Blog: https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/11/review-stolen-words-by-melanie-florence/

Excellent book and one that I will definitely utilize in teaching empathy.

A beautiful illustrated book. A touching, powerful short story about a little girl and her grandfather, who was taken away from his home and separated from his family as a child, whose culture and language were stolen.

It reflects the pain of Indigenous people, and makes clear that your language is much more than a bunch of words for it's part of your identity.

This is a beautiful children's book. Love the message and the art.

The cover and the description called me to read this and see exactly what it was about.
There is not many pictures in the book but what is drawn is done very well. It is soft illustrations.
When a little girl ask her grandfather to say something in his native language Cree he tells her the story of how his language was stolen from him. Not only was his language stolen but his world was changed as far as how him and his people were treated. It is a very sad story because we as humans should treat everyone with respect and that doesn't happen. We try to conform certain groups of people to be like us and that isn't right. What the granddaughter does next so her grandfather can speak in his langue is very sweet. I liked trying to say the words that were given to us in Cree. They look to be beautiful words.
This is a powerful book, that many many need to read. I really loved everything about this book but there was a certain picture that I fell in love with and it was where the words turn into birds and fly away. That was so meaningful to me. K thought it was sad that people were treated ugly and that they couldn't speak in their own words. He didn't fully understand why people would be so mean. Which led me to explaining to him.

Stolen Words is incredibly powerful. It tells the story of a granddaughter wanting to reunite her grandfather with his stolen language; as a Cree child he was forcibly removed from his family and sent away to a school where he was beaten for speaking his own language. When he is unable to tell her the meaning of grandfather in Cree she resolves to do something about it. A short but extremely powerful book about a young girl and her grandfather.

A little girl comes home from school and asks her grandfather how to say grandfather in Cree, since they are of those people. Alas, her grandfather has lost all his words, because he was forbidden to speak them when he went to residential school. Such a powerful way to explain what happened, with lovely pictures, the words becoming a cadged bird as they flew from their mouths.

I received this ARC from Second Story Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

‘They took our words and locked them away, punished us until we forgot them, until we sounded like them.’


Considering it's only thirteen pages long, Stolen Words is incredibly powerful. It tells the story of a granddaughter wanting to reunite her grandfather with his stolen language; as a Cree child he was forcibly removed from his family and sent away to a school where he was beaten for speaking his own language. When he is unable to tell her the meaning of grandfather in Cree she resolves to do something about it.

I didn't even know something like this had happened. I know that many crimes were committed against indigenous people, but I had no idea of the extent of it – it's truly horrifying that children were separated from their families and forced to forget their heritage. I'm absolutely heartbroken for every child that happened to, every parent who had to watch their child be taken away. It baffles me that we as human beings are capable of being so cruel to each other.

It really makes me wonder if people have learnt anything from the horrors and mistakes of the past – terrible things have happened, yet we continue destroying children, families, cultures, for the most pitiful reasons. I never imagined that this little story would make me think so much about the state of the world and the horrendous crimes that have been committed, and are still being committed, today. I only hope that we'll realise the destruction we cause before it's too late, before we really are past the point of no return.

A short but extremely powerful book about a young girl and her grandfather. Her grandfather's language - Cree - was taken from him as a child, and now his granddaughter wants to help him reclaim it.

I don't think a book this short has ever had such an emotional effect on me. I was blinking back tears for the entire thirteen pages. It's truly disturbing that this tale was the reality for many indigenous children.

With tears still in my eyes after reading, this I want to get my feelings down about this sweet, short picture book. So simple, only 13 pages long, but with such impact, I might as well as read a whole novel.

A little girl comes home from school and asks her grandfather how to say grandfather in Cree, since they are of those people. Alas, her grandfather has lost all his words, because he was forbidden to speak them when he went to residential school. He explains this in such simple ways, but gets the idea across:
<blockquote>"[They took me] away to a school that was cold and lonely, where angry white faces raised their voices and their hands when we used our words," he answered. "They took our words and locked them away, punished us until we forgot them, until we sounded like them."</blockquote>

Such a powerful way to explain what happened, with lovely pictures, the words becoming a cadged bird as they flew from their mouths.

Is this book relevant? Damn right it is. Is this book needed? Damn right it is. Does this book made you cry and rage at the same time. Damn right it does.

With stories in the news such as this <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/beyak-removed-from-senate-committee-over-residential-school-comments/article34610016/" target="blank">one</a>, where a senator says that residential schools weren't all bad? Sheesh, we need a whole boat load of books like this.

Highly, highly recommend this book to all libraries, homes, and schools, both in Canada, and the US. This history needs to be told, and told again.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. Thank you Second Story Press for publishing these, and other important books.