A beautiful prompt to learn more. [kimotinâniwiw itwêwina / Stolen Words by Melanie Florence]

As a person of African descent living in the Americas I understand impact of having your culture and identity stripped away through the force of a third party. So whenever I hear about efforts to relearn or revitalize dying, dead, or near-forgotten languages I can't help but applaud and support those efforts as I can. When Duolingo respectively announced the launching of the native Hawaiian and Navajo courses there was a sense of hope. One of the most popular language learning apps worldwide, Duolingo often highlights the success of its Irish language course, something along the lines of course enrollment being higher than the number of native speakers.

kimotinâniwiw itwêwina / Stolen Words by Melanie Florence is not a handbook on the Cree language but rather a sweet telling through the fictionalized relationship between a granddaughter and grandfather about the latter's experience with language attrition. After learning of her grandfather's relationship with the Cree language, the granddaughter greets him the next day with an "Introduction to Cree" book she got at her school library. The grandfather is filled with positive emotions at the prospect of relearning his native tongue and thereby reconnecting with his cultural roots. Ideally one would imagine, as the granddaughter asks to share in the experience, both generations are able to learn and relearn the language, connecting to on a deeper level the Cree culture.

This was the first 5-star review I've given on NetGalley since I've joined the site. The story was able to convey a spread of emotions. I felt sad, triumphant, and hopeful over the course of my read. The illustrations are beautiful and further emphasized storytelling, the most striking being the depiction of words floating from mouth of children into a cage. While six Cree words are highlighted and translated at the end of the book, understandably the dual use of English and Cree might make the book a good reference to test language skill when a learner has a firmer grasp of the Cree language. A language hobbyist myself, my interest in the language is peaked and I do hope language revitalization efforts prove successful.