Stolen Words
Stolen Words
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Publisher's Hardcover ©2017--
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Second Story Press
Annotation: Explores the intergenerational impact of Canada's residential school system that separated Indigenous children from their families.
 
Reviews: 4
Catalog Number: #150629
Format: Publisher's Hardcover
Copyright Date: 2017
Edition Date: 2017 Release Date: 09/05/17
Illustrator: Grimard, Gabrielle,
Pages: 1 volume (unpaged)
ISBN: 1-7726-0037-7
ISBN 13: 978-1-7726-0037-7
Dewey: E
Dimensions: 23 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

When Grandpa tells his granddaughter he has lost his Cree words, the 7-year-old asks for an explanation.The little girl leaves school elated that she has created her own dream catcher and anxious to share it with Grandpa, who meets her. Interested in her Cree culture, she asks if he'd tell her the Cree word for "grandfather." He tells her the truth: long ago, he lost his Cree language when he was forced to attend a residential school with other children of his village. When the two arrive home, they sit on the porch stairs together so he can answer her many questions about the way in which his first language was stolen from him and his classmates. Distressed, his granddaughter comforts him and later finds the perfect way to help. Florence's tender text soothes the harsh reality of having Native language stolen while attending one of Canada's former residential schools for Indigenous children. Grimard's equally emotive illustrations show the stark realities of the experience in symbolic images, as when a crow that embodies their words is locked in a cage, and literal ones, as in a heartbreaking picture of grieving mothers stretching their arms toward the bus that takes their children away. At the same time the soft colors and nuanced expressions enrich Florence's text. Images from the past are rendered in sepia tones, while bright blues, greens, and russets suffuse the contemporary tale. Unforgettable. (Picture book. 4-8)

Horn Book (Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

A girl tries to help her grandfather after she asks him what the Cree word for grandfather is; he says Cree was stolen from him as a child at boarding school. Despite its too-simple resolution, the story, illustrated with soft, pleasing art, could serve as an emotional introduction to the topic of Indian boarding schools.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

When Grandpa tells his granddaughter he has lost his Cree words, the 7-year-old asks for an explanation.The little girl leaves school elated that she has created her own dream catcher and anxious to share it with Grandpa, who meets her. Interested in her Cree culture, she asks if he'd tell her the Cree word for "grandfather." He tells her the truth: long ago, he lost his Cree language when he was forced to attend a residential school with other children of his village. When the two arrive home, they sit on the porch stairs together so he can answer her many questions about the way in which his first language was stolen from him and his classmates. Distressed, his granddaughter comforts him and later finds the perfect way to help. Florence's tender text soothes the harsh reality of having Native language stolen while attending one of Canada's former residential schools for Indigenous children. Grimard's equally emotive illustrations show the stark realities of the experience in symbolic images, as when a crow that embodies their words is locked in a cage, and literal ones, as in a heartbreaking picture of grieving mothers stretching their arms toward the bus that takes their children away. At the same time the soft colors and nuanced expressions enrich Florence's text. Images from the past are rendered in sepia tones, while bright blues, greens, and russets suffuse the contemporary tale. Unforgettable. (Picture book. 4-8)

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Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews
Horn Book (Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)
Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
Wilson's Children's Catalog
Word Count: 519
Reading Level: 2.4
Interest Level: 1-4
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 2.4 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 196717 / grade: Lower Grades
Lexile: 530L
Guided Reading Level: Q

The story of the beautiful relationship between a little girl and her grandfather. When she asks her grandfather how to say something in his language, Cree, he admits 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, beautifully illustrated picture book explores the intergenerational impact of Canada's residential school system, which separated young Indigenous children from their families.


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