Stolen Words
- Downloads：4744
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-01 12:52:49
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Melanie Florence
- ISBN：1772600377
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
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。
Reviews
Riley Coonen
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I loved this book， it was very educational about what happened when Native Americans were forced to assimilate。 The relationship between the characters were heartwarming as well。
Hanna
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A beautiful and sad story about a girl asking her Grandfather about their language， Cree。 He does not know it thanks to being taken to a residential school as a child。 The impact of such violence is clear， but the girls checks out a book on Cree language she shares with her grandfather so they can learn it together。 There is text in Cree and English。
Shelley
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Sweet story about a child whose Native American grandfather was sent to a school where he was forced to speak English and forget his native Cree language。 The little girl is able to get a book on the language and helps her grandfather remember the words。 The author's grandfather died before she could help him recall his language so this book is her wish for what could have happened。 I felt touched by her story and also wish it could have happened the way she describes。 Good illustrations too。 Sweet story about a child whose Native American grandfather was sent to a school where he was forced to speak English and forget his native Cree language。 The little girl is able to get a book on the language and helps her grandfather remember the words。 The author's grandfather died before she could help him recall his language so this book is her wish for what could have happened。 I felt touched by her story and also wish it could have happened the way she describes。 Good illustrations too。 。。。more
Cura
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This picture book discusses the sad reality of our history。 It is about a granddaughter helping her grandpa with Cree， his native language that was taken from him long ago。 They work together and support one another as they talk about the past。 His people were forced onto reservations and told that they must learn English and not speak their native language。 Leading to the loss of their family culture and language。 This book did an amazing job showcasing the tragedy and effects to this day on th This picture book discusses the sad reality of our history。 It is about a granddaughter helping her grandpa with Cree， his native language that was taken from him long ago。 They work together and support one another as they talk about the past。 His people were forced onto reservations and told that they must learn English and not speak their native language。 Leading to the loss of their family culture and language。 This book did an amazing job showcasing the tragedy and effects to this day on the loss that was instilled upon Native Americans。 I really liked this book although it is sad as it based upon real life， however it did a great job telling the story。 I would highly recommend it; I feel like it could be for any age level。 It would be more beneficial if they know some or are learning about the Native Americans being pushed out of their lands and forced to forget their culture and learn a new one。 This book is diverse as it is based upon the main characters learning of their Cree culture。 。。。more
Kara Benoit
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Oh my heart 🥺
Ruth
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Simple， yet powerful。
Mrs。 Walker Reads
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This is a BIG topic to cover for young children。 Books are fantastic way to spark conversation and guide new learning， gain understanding and shift perspectives。 My book selection for today is Spoken Words。 This is a great story that can be shared and is appropriate for young learners。⠀Stolen Words is about a little girl who asks her grandpa to teach her some words in their native language， Cree。 He tells her that he is sad he can’t teach her the language because it was taken away from him when This is a BIG topic to cover for young children。 Books are fantastic way to spark conversation and guide new learning， gain understanding and shift perspectives。 My book selection for today is Spoken Words。 This is a great story that can be shared and is appropriate for young learners。⠀Stolen Words is about a little girl who asks her grandpa to teach her some words in their native language， Cree。 He tells her that he is sad he can’t teach her the language because it was taken away from him when he was sent to [residential] school as a young boy。 The next day， the little girl excitedly comes home to her grandpa and proudly shares some words in Cree from a book at school that her teacher helped her find。 The little girl and her grandpa can now learn the language together 🧡。⠀💡During the reading， ask “how do you think the Grandpa feels when he is no longer allowed to speak his language？”， “how would you feel if you couldn’t speak your language anymore？”， “how would you feel if people were speaking to you in a language you didn’t understand？”Allow children time to reflect and connect to the grandpa on how he would be feeling as a young boy。 Anticipated responses: He would be sad， scared， lonely， afraid， disappointed， worried， etc。⠀💡After reading， discuss the importance of celebrating our different cultures， languages and traditions。 Explain how the things that make us different are the things that make us special。 Ask， “How can we make sure that our classmates/friends feel special？”， “What can we do to show kindness to others？”⠀Stolen Words is written by Melanie Florence @mflowrites and illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard。 Published by Second Story Press @_secondstory。 ⠀ 。。。more
Stephanie
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The first time I read this book I thought it was a very moving story with beautiful illustrations depicting the loving relationship between a girl and her grandfather。 Through other books， I have become familiar with the horrifying history of residential schools。 In the story Stolen Words， the young girl learns how her grandfather was taken away to a residential school where he and the other children were not allowed to use their Cree language。 While I did find it strange that the girl made a dr The first time I read this book I thought it was a very moving story with beautiful illustrations depicting the loving relationship between a girl and her grandfather。 Through other books， I have become familiar with the horrifying history of residential schools。 In the story Stolen Words， the young girl learns how her grandfather was taken away to a residential school where he and the other children were not allowed to use their Cree language。 While I did find it strange that the girl made a dream catcher as a project as school and that she wouldn't know her grandfather's story before being school age， I was willing to overlook those details and enjoy the story。 Then I went to the website American Indian's in Children's literature。 Please see attached:https://americanindiansinchildrenslit。。。While I am not comfortable with the part of the review that seems to be a personal attack on the author and her identity， I do agree that there are some problems with this book that I didn't see upon my first reading。 I encourage you to think about this perspective when deciding whether or not to use this book in your classroom。 When We Were Alone by David Robertson is a recommended alternative book which makes the vital story of residential schools accessible to young readers。 。。。more
Erin
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On the surface this was a sweet story of a granddaughter and grandfather。 Granddaughter doesn't understand why her grandfather doesn't know the Cree language， and there is a gentle discussion of Native American assimilation and boarding schools。 The illustrations are soft and gentle like the text。 This clearly serves as a personal story for the author， who never spoke with her own grandfather about his residential boarding school experience。 For other readers， it might serve as an entry point to On the surface this was a sweet story of a granddaughter and grandfather。 Granddaughter doesn't understand why her grandfather doesn't know the Cree language， and there is a gentle discussion of Native American assimilation and boarding schools。 The illustrations are soft and gentle like the text。 This clearly serves as a personal story for the author， who never spoke with her own grandfather about his residential boarding school experience。 For other readers， it might serve as an entry point to further， more difficult conversations。 This reader was really missing an afterward。 。。。more
Michelle
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important
Jessica Hawley Malina
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Heartbreaking and beautiful。 A must read。
Cheryl
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A story about a Cree grandfather and his granddaughter。 A little girl comes home from school one day and ask her grandfather how to say a word in Cree and learns that he cannot speak Cree and the story behind this。 He was sent to a residential school and his language was forcefully discouraged and he lost it。 A sad story， but a history lesson for children。 Beautiful soft illustrations。 Grade k-3。
Amy
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In just a few pages， the author depicts a loving relationship between grandfather and granddaughter and the effect of the Indian schools on the elder generation。 He is unable to recall any words in his native Cree， much to his sadness。 But the granddaughter has the solution -- she went to the library and found a Cree-English dictionary。
Anneke Alnatour
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Great opportunity to introduce the topic of residential schools to my youngest two。 We recently read a book that mentioned something about that， and this was just expanding on that topic in a very gentle， but also direct way。 Recommended
Megan Wagner
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LOVED。
Dax
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This is so brilliantly and eloquently done that I felt my heart shattering。 The art is so powerful that I had tears rolling down my face and I will most certainly be buying this one。
Alexandra
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Stolen Words won the 2018 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award in the Children’s Picture Book Category， which is where I found the book。 I read it by listening to it on YouTube。 Stolen Words is the story of a grandfather and a granddaughter。 The granddaughter asks the grandfather how to say Grandfather in Cree， the language of his people。 However， he does not know the answer because he does not speak Cree， he never learned。 He describes to the granddaughter the process of leaving his h Stolen Words won the 2018 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award in the Children’s Picture Book Category， which is where I found the book。 I read it by listening to it on YouTube。 Stolen Words is the story of a grandfather and a granddaughter。 The granddaughter asks the grandfather how to say Grandfather in Cree， the language of his people。 However， he does not know the answer because he does not speak Cree， he never learned。 He describes to the granddaughter the process of leaving his home and being taken away to a residential school。 In this school， he was not allowed to speak Cree， he had to learn English， along with the other children。 The granddaughter does not fully understand this concept of “losing words” so she searches and searches to help him find his words in Cree。 She asks her teacher for help and finds a book from the library that gives definitions of words in Cree。 The story ends with a bittersweet feeling from the grandfather， who is grateful to his granddaughter but longing to remember his language and remember his mother。 The picture book is an example of historical fiction because it shows the effects of the government in Canada taking First Nations children away from their families and sending them to residential schools from 1831 to 1996。 This book brings awareness to this issue， which is important。 However， it is just as important to note that the author is part Cree and part Scottish but admits that she has very little connection to her Cree heritage。 This means that the story is told from an outsider’s point of view， which many activists have critiqued。 It is also not recommended by the American Indians in Children’s Literature。 I think this story would be best suited for a lesson on point of view and bias。 I think children could discuss the power of insider versus outsider stories and ask questions about the cultures represented in the author and illustrator pair。 I think this story would need to be paired with a story written from an insider perspective in order for it to be truly effective。 Regardless， this might be a book that elementary school students could use to study these topics or older students could use to explore bias。 。。。more
Amanda
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This Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award winner from 2018 tells heartbreaking and emotional story of a young girl and her grandfather who live in Canada。 The young girl learns her grandfather has lost his words， his first language that was stolen away from him in a very unjust and cruel way when he was just a little boy。 The girl sets out to help her grandfather find his language， Cree again。 At the end of the story， the little girl has found a book of Cree words at her school library This Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award winner from 2018 tells heartbreaking and emotional story of a young girl and her grandfather who live in Canada。 The young girl learns her grandfather has lost his words， his first language that was stolen away from him in a very unjust and cruel way when he was just a little boy。 The girl sets out to help her grandfather find his language， Cree again。 At the end of the story， the little girl has found a book of Cree words at her school library and she greets her grandfather with words in Cree and it ends in this heartwarming way of the little girl and her grandfather both learning the language of Cree together。 This story depicts a time in Canadian history when the white people of Canada's government stole children from Indigenous families and put them all up in a residential school。 The children were forbidden to speak their home language and forced to only speak English。 Many families were destroyed and culture lost through this horrible practice。 This lasted from 1831-1996。I think this book would be a good read， perhaps for upper elementary or even middle school aged children because they would better be able to grasp what happened to these families and make connections to current events。 It could also support a research project on this history for older students。 This book tells a sensitive story in a respectful way with beautiful illustrations。 。。。more
Sandy
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A short， yet powerful story about how language was stolen from indigenous children at residential schools。 Heartbreaking。
Emma
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I'm not crying， you're crying。 A gentle introduction to a very harsh history， still with an optimistic end。 I'm not crying， you're crying。 A gentle introduction to a very harsh history， still with an optimistic end。 。。。more
Tahmeda
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Stolen Words I give it 5/5 because it teaches you how hard it was to leave your culture behind， and that someone can't take your culture permanently away from you。 Also another thing I loved about it was well written。The illustration were beautiful， and it told the story in a creative way。 I recommend it for ages 14 or under。 Stolen Words I give it 5/5 because it teaches you how hard it was to leave your culture behind， and that someone can't take your culture permanently away from you。 Also another thing I loved about it was well written。The illustration were beautiful， and it told the story in a creative way。 I recommend it for ages 14 or under。 。。。more
Janet
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A soft easy presentation between a granddaughter and grandfather about how grandfather lost words（his native language Cree） when he attended an Indian boarding school。 The granddaughter found a way for grandfather to regain his words。 Good introduction for younger children regarding the Indigenous experience with boarding schools。
Aliya Kassam
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A great book to introduce to the ideas of loss surrounding residential schools to younger children。 It also provides hope and illustrates the importance of learning our own history and re-learning traditions。
Kris
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I read this， and while I did find it beautiful and a bit touching， there was something that felt almost。。。emotionally manipulative？ （I'm not sure if that is the right word for it， but I can't think of a better one。） about it。 So I did some digging。 Turns out I am not the only one who thought something was off。 This review says it better than I ever could: https://americanindiansinchildrenslit。。。。Don't get me wrong。 The book is gorgeous。 But by telling a story that isn't hers to tell， Florence ma I read this， and while I did find it beautiful and a bit touching， there was something that felt almost。。。emotionally manipulative？ （I'm not sure if that is the right word for it， but I can't think of a better one。） about it。 So I did some digging。 Turns out I am not the only one who thought something was off。 This review says it better than I ever could: https://americanindiansinchildrenslit。。。。Don't get me wrong。 The book is gorgeous。 But by telling a story that isn't hers to tell， Florence manages to minimize it and make it feel unreal。 。。。more
Chinook
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Maddie loved this story about a little girl who helps her grandpa （Maddie is quite the grandpa’s girl herself。）I had to tread lightly， with a new school year coming up， but I thought this book did a good job of introducing a difficult subject and handling it with both honesty and hope。 We will definitely revisit it for Orange Shirt Day。
Laura
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Second Story Press for providing an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。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 othe Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Second Story Press for providing an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。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。 。。。more
Kathy
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Even though 6 words are specifically in Cree， the grandfather's experience of being taken away to a boarding school and being forced to forget his native language is familiar across the Native American tribes。 The afterword about the author who was close to her grandfather， but never got to have this healing experience of reminding him of his mother's language， is touching， because this book is what she wishes she had been able to have with him。 Even though 6 words are specifically in Cree， the grandfather's experience of being taken away to a boarding school and being forced to forget his native language is familiar across the Native American tribes。 The afterword about the author who was close to her grandfather， but never got to have this healing experience of reminding him of his mother's language， is touching， because this book is what she wishes she had been able to have with him。 。。。more
Samantha
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A great introductory book for young children to the horror which was the reeducation schools and cultural annihilation of Native peoples cultures and languages。 Rather than exploring the actual events at the school， this book focuses on the sadness of having lost one's culture and the journey towards rediscovery。 It is an emotionally powerful book which does not shy away from the truth， but presents it in a way which is hopeful rather than bleak。 Definitely a book to be followed up with more boo A great introductory book for young children to the horror which was the reeducation schools and cultural annihilation of Native peoples cultures and languages。 Rather than exploring the actual events at the school， this book focuses on the sadness of having lost one's culture and the journey towards rediscovery。 It is an emotionally powerful book which does not shy away from the truth， but presents it in a way which is hopeful rather than bleak。 Definitely a book to be followed up with more books on the topic， but again， a great starting point for a young child or child with no previous exposure to the history of Native peoples in America。 。。。more
Erin *BookDragon_Library*
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This is a very beautiful book with gorgeous illustrations and a moving way to tell the story of Canadian residential schools and how Native Americans were forced into them and forced to learn English and forget their culture and language。 It is definitely something I do not remember learning a lot about in school and I appreciate more and more books being written about it in an accesible way for children。 It is a very beautiful story of a grandfather and granddaughter。 And I feel it is in a true This is a very beautiful book with gorgeous illustrations and a moving way to tell the story of Canadian residential schools and how Native Americans were forced into them and forced to learn English and forget their culture and language。 It is definitely something I do not remember learning a lot about in school and I appreciate more and more books being written about it in an accesible way for children。 It is a very beautiful story of a grandfather and granddaughter。 And I feel it is in a true native American tradition that the words are represented flying out of the mouths of children like a raven and being caged by the teacher。 And then when the grandfather starts reading the words they come off the page of the Cree book in the form of ravens pulling the words and it’s just a beautiful image and great visual for young children。 。。。more
SandyF
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Stolen Words is a story about a little girl and her grandfather。 She asked her grandfather one day how to say something in cree and he was not able to tell her。 Her grandfather tells her about the day his language was stolen from him when he was young。 The little girl helps her father connect with his language again。 I recommend this book for 1st-3rd graders。 The illustrations are lovely。 I listened to this book on YouTube。 I love how the reader really focused on the details of the pictures。 You Stolen Words is a story about a little girl and her grandfather。 She asked her grandfather one day how to say something in cree and he was not able to tell her。 Her grandfather tells her about the day his language was stolen from him when he was young。 The little girl helps her father connect with his language again。 I recommend this book for 1st-3rd graders。 The illustrations are lovely。 I listened to this book on YouTube。 I love how the reader really focused on the details of the pictures。 You can see the grandfather’s emotions very clear。 YouTube link: https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=y4TA8。。。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Stolen Words
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Stolen Words&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Stolen Words&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0