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list price: $19.95
edition:Hardcover
also available: eBook
category: Children's Fiction
published: May 2021
ISBN:9781459825390
publisher: Orca Book Publishers

My Heart Fills With Happiness / Nijiikendam

by Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Julie Flett, translated by Angela Mesic & Margaret Noodin

tagged: emotions & feelings, native canadian
Description

★ "A quiet loveliness, sense of gratitude, and—yes—happiness emanate from this tender celebration of simple pleasures." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Will leave the youngest readers gladly imagining what fills their own hearts with joy.”—The New York Times

The sun on your face. The smell of warm bannock baking in the oven. Holding the hand of someone you love. What fills your heart with happiness? This beautiful book, with illustrations from celebrated artist Julie Flett, serves as a reminder for little ones and adults alike to reflect on and cherish the moments in life that bring us joy.

International speaker and award-winning author Monique Gray Smith wrote My Heart Fills with Happiness to support the wellness of Indigenous children and families, and to encourage young children to reflect on what makes them happy.

This bilingual book includes full text in both English and Anishinaabemowin.

About the Authors
Monique Gray Smith is a mixed–heritage woman of Cree, Lakota and Scottish ancestry. She is an accomplished consultant, writer and international speaker. Her first novel, Tilly: A Story of Hope and Resilience, won the 2014 Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature. Monique and her family are blessed to live on Lkwungen territory in Victoria, British Columbia. For more information, visit www.moniquegraysmith.com.

Julie Flett is a Swampy Cree and Red River Métis artist and author. She studied fine arts at Concordia University in Montreal and Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver, British Columbia. She won the Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature for her work on When We Were Alone by David Robertson, and her book Birdsong won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award. She is the three-time recipient of the Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Award for Owls See Clearly at Night: A Michif Alphabet, Dolphin SOS and My Heart Fills With Happiness.


Angela Mesic learned the Anishinaabe language when she was a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, wanting to understand more about the land where she is from and the language of the Indigenous people that occupy it. For six years she has been teaching others to speak the Anishinaabe language.


Margaret Noodin teaches Ojibwe to the children of Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Minnesota. She also teaches Ojibwe, literature, and creative writing online for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she is a professor in the English department. To hear her work, visit www.ojibwe.net.

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
Age:
3 to 5
Grade:
p to k
Reading age:
3 to 5
Editorial Reviews

“This small yellow book celebrates the little joys of being alive. The simple text and color-blocked illustrations depicting Native children and their grown-ups singing, dancing and drumming will leave the youngest readers gladly imagining what fills their own hearts with joy.”

— The New York Times

★ "Joyful and tender, this board book celebrates the activities that bring gladness through family and cultural connections...Flett’s quietly powerful gouache and digital collage illustrations emphasize the relationships between people...The sweet family story has universal appeal. A first purchase for all libraries."

— School Library Journal (SLJ), starred review

“A comforting board book offers young children the opportunity for reflection, and for affirmation, too. Moments of happiness tucked into each and every day celebrated here include time with family, self-expression, and the natural world."

— Cooperative Children’s Book Center

"It is a fantastic toddler book that celebrates family and heritage and would be valuable in any collection, especially those of First Nations heritage."

— Raising Mom

★"A quiet loveliness, sense of gratitude, and—yes—happiness emanate from this tender celebration of simple pleasures, which features a cast of First Nations children and adults...Short, first-person phrases...revel in both solitary and familial activities...Flett’s (Little You) crisp-edged paintings blend universal and culturally specific experiences."

— Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Charming in its simplicity, this is a great ­reminder of what can be found every day in our lives.”

— School Library Journal (SLJ)

"A celebration of aboriginal culture...but also universal in its message: sometimes it's the simplest things that lift our spirits highest...[The book] is beautiful in both its appearance and its intention."

— Quill & Quire

"[A] light, warm and utterly charming book...Highly recommended for families, parents of young children to share with them and to begin conversation and sharing about emotions."

— Resource Links

"An excellent board book for every baby Canadian."

— The Toronto Star

"A board book that leaves you feeling cheerful and appreciative of those small moments in life that bring one joy. Recommended."

— CM: Canadian Review of Materials

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