This is beautiful.

Not only the illustration but the story is also great. I am glad I have the chance to read it.
It is a heartwarming book. rarely found it in children books.

I wish more people will read this book. This is a highly recommend book for children and parents.

A sweet story with beautiful art work. This book is a good way to start exploring the culture and history of indigenous people in Canada. It gives me hope that inspite of the past, indigenous people have a safer environment now and can go back to their languages and roots. It's sad that it has taken white people so long to have basic human decency and respect for other human beings.

A bittersweet story of a young Cree girl and her grandfather. One day while walking home from school with her grandfather, the girl asks him how to say "grandfather" in Cree. He tells her he doesn't remember, his words were stolen from him long ago. She asks what happened, and he tells her about being taken from his family and put into a residential school with other Indian children, and punished for using their own language till they forgot it. The next day, she brings him a book from the library, an introduction to Cree, and helps him find his words again. For such a short story, there is so much impact, and it conveys the devastation of what was taken, not just to the generations who were put in these schools, but to the generations that followed. The illustrations are perfect, with the spreads showing the words being taken away like birds flying from the mouths of the children and shut in a cage, to the grandfather opening the book and the words flying out, returning to him. The text in shown in English and in Cree, with a short glossary at the end for the Cree words used within the story. The book is based on the author's grandfather, and the story she wished she had been able to have with him. Highly recommended.

#KimotināniwiwItwêwinaStolenWords #NetGalley

This children’s book breathes beauty in both words and illustrations. A little girl walks home from school with her grandfather, and her simple question unveils a tragic story of what happened to her grandfather when he went to school.

The book, written bilingually in English and Cree, shares the story of a tragic epoch and its far-reaching effects. It’s a must-read for every conscientious parent who wishes to raise children who develop into citizens with a social conscience.

Educators (especially history teachers) and lawmakers should also read this book. In fact, buy one for yourself and another one for your representative. This heartbreaking book by a marginalized voice ends with a note of hope that leaves the reader wanting to know more and do more. The publisher offers teaching helps on line, too.

Second Story Press, a Canadian imprint, leads the way in helping the minority understand what has happened in the past in order to prevent it from happening in the future. It’s too bad imprints in the United States haven’t caught on yet.

Teaching children about difficult times in the past can be a challenge. How do you explain to a little one that in the past kids were taken from their homes and put into residential schools? I would have thought it was almost impossible to do so elegantly and with a positive ending, until now. Melanie Florence has taken an embarrassing and awful piece of Canadian past and framed it in such a way that children can consume and understand. I'm very impressed with this picture book and it's ability to convey the sadness of the past; but still give hope for the future.
The illustrations are well done and I like the idea of the words (shown in bird forms) being trapped in a cage. I think this type of obvious pictorial helps children understand that the words were out of reach. Without getting into the nuances of how trauma makes us forget things.
Easily the best part of Stolen Words is the last bit when the little girl 'returns' the words to her Grandfather. It's considerate and bittersweet. The only thing I wish is that there was a phonetic explanation at the end of the book in an appendix or afterword that taught adults how to say the Cree words. I struggled to determine how to say the Cree words and you know that children being read to will want to know. (I always remember a child I was babysitting many years ago telling me I read Dr. Seuss wrong because that's not how Mommy said things). However there is the marvelous internet to help look up the Cree words and be sure to know how to say them. This little bit of homework really brings Stolen Words up to a high level for a children's book. Overall this is an easy 5 stars; not because it's well written but because it's important that we teach the next generation what not to do.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Stolen Words / kimotinaniwiw itwewina is an emotionally satisfying children’s book about language, here Plains Cree, and the effects of its loss. A young girl has made a dream catcher at school one day and happily brings it home to show her family. As she shows it to her grandfather she asks him how to say grandfather in Cree. His long hesitation is followed by the admission that he has lost his words, that his words were taken away from him, and other children like him, who were taken from their homes and put into residential schools when they were young. This 7 year old girl sees the hurt in her grandfather and manages to find a way to help him, a way that brings them even closer.

The art work throughout Stolen Words is beautiful while also serving to convey the plot, metaphorically at times. The faces are open, show emotion. The story is written in Plains Cree and English, and a listing of several Cree words used in the book is provided at the end along with a pronunciation guide and useful definitions. Many children would enjoy this book even without a cultural tie. The story is so human; the illustrations will draw them and their parents in. This is a book that also can spark meaningful family conversations.

Recommended.

A copy of this book was provided by Second Story Press through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

*received from netgalley for honest review* This book is so heartbreaking but also uplifting, and just amazing. Loved everything about it especially the small dictionary of words in the back!

A story short in length, with beautiful illustrations, Stolen Words very succinctly manages to convey the pain of cultural erasure and the generational consequences. After my read I feel prompted to learn more about Cree history and the Cree language, especially how varied the latter may be (dialects).

Gorgeous and important book. Relationship between granddaughter and grandfather is touching. Sad explanation of the history and mistreatment of the Cree. Beautiful illustrations. Must-read for every classroom!

A little girl asks her grandfather to teach her some Cree. With a broken heart he tells her he can't, because the school he was sent to as a child stole them. The next day the little girl finds a way to give her grandfather back his words and learn them herself. Told in both Cree and English

I think it is so very fitting that this book is now available in Cree. I don't speak or read Cree so I can't comment on the quality of the translation. But just the fact that it is available in Cree is fantastic. The story shares a shameful part of history in a tender and tactful way for kids. Some of the Cree words have a glossary and pronunciation guide in the back of the book. Language and culture can be so intricately linked, as is displayed in this story. An important multicultural tale and tender granddaughter/grandfather story. Definitely recommended.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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.” Appropriately written in Plains Cree and English, the book tells the story of a little First Nations girl, 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 word for grandfather, but he cannot tell her. He explains—and the accompanying illustrations beautifully and symbolically also 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 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.

I cannot express enough how much I value this book in its entirety. The content and illustrations see beautiful. I love the story and enjoy the translations. Many of these languages are being forgotten, and this kind of reservation will ensure that it lives on in future generation. I value the time and effort that went into documenting, translating, and designing this book. It is a must-read.

*thank you to Netgalley, Melanie Florence and Second Story Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


5 stars.

I don't give out 5 stars easily but WOW, does this book deserve it!! I want to buy this so I can have an actual copy and just give it a huge hug! This story is so sad but beautiful. The gift given from granddaughter to grandfather in the end was a real tear jerker. The question asked, the answer received. The emotions it makes you feel. Such simplicity yet so very heartfelt. The illustrations are so perfect to the story. They compliment each other so well. This is one of those books you will treasure for ever and will have a special place in your heart.

A huge thank you not only to the author for allowing me to read this, but for writing it.

I'm really not sure how I feel about this one. The pictures are beautiful. But I struggled with the structure- the lack of quotation marks sometimes made reading a challenge. Parts of the story feel touching while parts of it seemed off. I received an advance digital copy of this book from NetGalley to read and review. As I was reading I discovered that a single language version had been previously published- I had missed that one. This version has added translation by two individuals other than the author. This makes me wonder about the story's accuracy and authenticity as far as representation. I had been really hopeful about this book, but I'm not so sure now.

Stunning book. The narration is almost poetic, yet touches on a deep topic of identity and language. It masterfully brings out the erroneous practices of forced boarding schools in which the indigenous children were forced to abandon everything they knew and believed in in order to be "assimilated" into what was considered to be a more advanced American/European culture.
Not only does the book include Cree narration, it is placed FIRST - before English - on every page. Yes, English is not punctuated correctly, but if it makes you feel uncomfortable, think about not just punctuation, but somebody's whole world being taken away! How is that for discomfort?
Love it, highly recommend it!

I have previously read this book in the English only version, but this version with both English and Cree brings a whole new level of meaning to the book. The pictures are haunting and draw you into the story. I loved being able to experience the Cree words with the English, especially when the languages are being described by the grandfather.

This book is a important and painful look into the residential school system and how it affects people for generations, but also that there is hope.

This book is heartbreakingly beautfiul. It portrays that trauma and loss that came with colonization. The grandfather in this story had his language forcefully taken from him as a child. Together, the granddaughter and grandfather reclaim the beautiful language that was stolen from them.

Highly recommend this read for all children to better understand the dark parts of America's history, and the beauty that we need to actively create space to find.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautifully illustrated, wonderfully written children's book about a young girl and her grandfather. They are Cree and she asks him how to say something in Cree one day, only to find out that his language was stolen from him when he was taken from his family and sent to a government school as a child. She helps him find his words again when a teacher helps her find a Cree dictionary.

The text is written in one font in Cree, and then in English. The back of the book teaches a few Cree words with pronunciation.

This is an important part of our nation's history, and one that is too often left out of our history books. Our family has been active in volunteering at local Dakota historical sites for many years and it has always been difficult to find children's materials that accurately tell this terrible part of our history or to find picture books about Native American children, especially modern Native American children. The subject is handled sweetly but soberingly, and the love between the child and her grandfather is touching. Highly recommended.

My rating system:

1 = hated it
2 = it was okay
3 = liked it
4 = really liked it
5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost

I read a temporary digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review.

On her way home from school, a young girl asks her grandfather how to say "grandfather" in Cree-- she's dispirited to learn that he doesn't remember. His Cree words were stolen in childhood, when white colonists took Native children, forcing them to unlearn their customs and languages. Grandfather's story broke my heart; Granddaughter's determination to help him remember patched it back together. Beautiful, powerful, and essential.

I usually review picture books within a few weeks of their publication. But every now and then I stumble across a slightly older book that’s so unique, or moving, or thought-provoking that I just have to tell the world about it! Stolen Words, by Melanie Florence (published in September 2017) is all three of these things.

When a young girl (whose name we don’t find out) questions her aboriginal grandfather about his language, Cree, he reveals that his words were “stolen” when he was a child: he was taken away from his family together with other children and put in a school where he was forbidden to speak his own language.

Determined to help her grandfather rediscover “his” words, the girl gets hold of a Cree dictionary and encourages him to relearn it by teaching it to her.

This beautifully poignant story had me in tears while I was surrounded by strangers on a Vienna underground train! Knowing that it’s based on true events (even if the specific characters and situation are fictional) made it incredibly sad, yet the kindness of a small child towards her beloved grandfather and the close relationship between them is something truly magical.

A glossary and explanation at the back provide fascinating information about the words used in the book as well as the Cree language and dialects in general.

The illustrations skillfully differentiate between modern-day happenings and flashbacks from the grandfather’s childhood by means of variations in the amount of colour used (the modern-day scenes are brighter and more cheerful, while the scenes showing the grandfather as a boy look faded and drained of colour).

My only complaint is that the book is not longer – when I reached the last page I wanted to continue reading about the granddaughter and grandfather learning (or relearning) the Cree language together!!