miywâsin! Wonderful news today via CBC books that Julie Flett’s beautiful We All Play (which came out earlier this year) has been named one 25 best children’s books for 2021 by the New York Times. And it even includes some Cree (Plains Cree, y-dialect).
The CBC article says, in part:
Flett’s We All Play is a picture book that celebrates diversity and the interconnectedness of nature from an Indigenous perspective. The back of the book includes a glossary of Cree words for wild animals, while children also use a Cree phrase throughout the book. Click here for the whole article.
It’s always a pleasure and an honour to talk with Julie about her plans for including Cree language elements in her books. For this one, we were able to help provide a Cree language glossary that names all of the animals the book features at play, and the children who imitate their jumps, and rolls, and squeaks.
You can listen and read along with the glossary from the end of the book. It teaches Cree animal names in singular, plural and diminutive forms. Audio files are voiced by Dolores Greyeyes Sand. These are free, online resources.
Order the book: Find the book is available at your local bookseller, order directly from Greystone. It makes a great addition to any kid’s library (just ask the New York Times), but it’s a particularly good fit in Cree language classrooms and homes engaged in language reclamation.
Thanks so much, Julie, for letting us play along!
