Monique Gray Smith and Julie Flett's MY HEART FILLS WITH HAPPINESS

I've read My Heart Fills With Happiness by Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Julie Flett, many times. I can't decide--and don't need to, really--which page is my favorite!

For now--for this moment--I just got off the phone with my daughter, Liz. She's not a little girl anymore. She's an adult, making plans for the the coming months as she finishes law school. She makes me so darn happy! When she was little, she liked "spinny skirts." We made several so she'd always have a clean one to wear to school. So, the cover of My Heart Fills With Happiness reminds me of those days with Liz, as she spun about in her spinny skirts.

Like I said, though, I just got off the phone with her, and as I think of her walking about in the many places she's going to be in May and June and July, I'm reminded of holding her hand as the two of us walked here, and there, oh those years ago! That memory, and this page, are so dear!

I love the page that shows a little girl dancing, her shawl gorgeously depicted as she moves. I love the page where the little boy holds a drumstick in his hand and sits at the drum. I love the page of the kids waiting for their bannock to be ready to eat. I'd love to meet the two Native women who created this book so I could thank them, in person.

My Heart Fills With Happiness got a starred review from Publisher's Weekly and another one from School Library Journal. From me, it gets all the stars in the night sky. Today is its birthday (to use the language I see on twitter). Get a copy, or two, from your favorite independent store.

Recommended: In My Anaana's Amautik by Nadia Sammurtok

In My Anaana's Amautik

Written by Nadia Sammurtok

Illustrated by Lenny Lischenko

Available in English and Inuktitut

Published by Inhabit Media

Publication Year 2019

Reviewed by Jean Mendoza

Review Status: Highly Recommended

A while back, Victoria J Coe tweeted that Teresa Peterson's Grasshopper Girl is a "huggable book." What a great descriptor -- some books are just that! And we need those, in these strange times when hugging people we love can actually be dangerous. 

Another example of a book you might want to hug is In My Anaana's Amautik by Nadia Sammurtok (Inuit). It offers peaceful illustrations of an adorable baby in snuggly situations, with loving word-images about the comfort and joy of being carried and cared for. What's more huggable than that? 

The book begins with a two-page illustration of a child's hand reaching toward a large sun that shines brightly over an Arctic landscape (by Lenny Lischenko, not Native) and these words:

In my anaana's amautik, I feel warm. The warmth of her skin feels like sunshine, keeping me safe from the cold. I love being in my anaana's amautik.

"Amautik", pronouced "a-MOW-tick," is defined in the brief glossary as "a pouch in the back of a woman's parka where a baby can be carried".

Every page of text begins with the words "in my Anaana's amautik," followed by sensory images of something the child loves to do, and ends with "my Anaana's amautik." That repetition makes it easy for toddlers or preschoolers to chime in when their adult pauses there in reading, once they're familiar with the book.

Some of the imagery is rooted in a specific environment: "Her breathing feels like ocean waves gently rolling in and out." But many images have a more universal feel, and are always linked to the natural world: "Her scent reminds me of flowers in the summertime."  It's a love poem, really, about caregivers and their little ones. 

In My Anaana's Amautik shows us how a baby's fundamental and lasting sense of security and well-being is woven from sensory experiences large and small. Family members, like the mother in the book, often provide such comforts without even thinking about it. (I'm smiling right now, remembering that one of our "grands" says they would sometimes "forget" their favorite blanket at our place, so we would mail it back to them. When they open the package, "It smells like Grandma's house.")

But worries can keep parents and caregivers from being "in the moment" with little ones: "Am I doing enough? Am I doing something wrong? Am I giving my baby a chance at a good future?" 

Where do we find our own sense of security as adults, as people with responsibility for generations to come? The mother in In My Anaana's Amautik is right there in the same experiences the baby is having, though from a different perspective. To me, this says that as adults, we can find and accept the comfort available in what the earth offers us: warm sunlight, rolling waves, lovely sounds, objects soft to the touch, a tender new life. We often overlook such things, take them for granted. But when we allow ourselves to be in the moment with them, maybe we can touch that sense of security, of being gently hugged and cradled in an amautik.     

In her 2016 review of  We Sang You Home (by Richard Van Camp), Debbie wrote of "feeling loved by words" or "loved by a book." For so long, there were no books that showed Indigenous children receiving such loving care.  In My Anaana's Amautik joins We Sang You Home and other titles like Grasshopper Girl and My Heart Fills with Happiness in putting unconditional familial love at the center. (And Inhabit Media makes it available in Inuktitut as well as English -- more love for Indigenous languages, and Indigenous kids.)

Top Board Books for the Youngest Readers

Update on Oct 17, 2022: We add to this list, first posted in 2011. If you have additional recommendations, let us know in a comment and we'll take a look!

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Some time ago, I posted three "Top Ten" lists of books about American Indians. Each list was about a specific age/grade level. You will find links to those three lists at the top right side of AICL in the IF YOU'RE STARTING A LIBRARY... section of the site.

Today, I'm adding a Top Board Books list to that section. It isn't a Top Ten list because some of the books are from the same author and titling it "Top Ten" doesn't work. Each of the books are written or illustrated by a Native author or illustrator, and in some way, they are "tribally specific."

Baby Learns about Colors, by Beverly Blacksheep. Published in 2003 by Salina, it is one of a series of eight bilingual books with Dine (Navajo) and English text that feature a baby girl, her growth, and things she learns in a tribally specific context. Other books in the series are Baby Learns about Animals, Baby Learns about Seasons, Baby Learns about Senses, Baby Learns bout Time, Baby Learns about Weather, Baby Learns to Count, and Baby's First Laugh.  For more information, see my essay: Beverly Blacksheep's Board Books.

Boozhoo, Come Play With Us, by Deanna Himango. Published in 2002 by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, this bilingual board book features photographs of toddlers at play. In some of the photos you can see the tribally specific decor of the classroom. The languages in the book are Ojibwe and English. The last page features a pronunciation guide.

I See Me, by Margaret Manuel. Published in 2010 by Theytus, the book can be personalized. By that, I mean that each page has a line of English text about the photo, and, a blank line for parents/teachers to write a caption in their own language. If you wish, the publisher provides captions in a specific language. This book is being given to families through the American Indian/Alaska Native Reach Out and Read program.

Learn the Alphabet with Northwest Coast Art. Published in 2010 by Garfinkle Publications, this board book is one of several that are illustrated by First Nations artists. The back cover provides information about the item and artist whose work is featured on each page. The other book from Garfinkle that I know and recommend is Learn to Count with Northwest Coast Native Art. They also sell puppets, plush animals, stickers, and stamps. Though I don't have any of the items, I think they can be used to enhance the study of the art in the books.

Our Journey, by Lyz Jaakola, illustrated by Karen Savage-Blue. Published in 2001 by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, this bilingual book bids Anin (hello) and Miigwech (thank you) to the east, south, north, west, and to the sun and earth, and to "the One who gave me my birth." Because the illustrations are primarily of pre-contact scenes, you'll want to make sure to use present tense verbs when using the book in settings where you don't have day-to-day interactions with Native children and their families.

Welcome Song for Baby: A lullaby for newborns, by Richard Van Camp. Published in 2007 by Orca, it was given to every baby born in British Columbia in 2008.  Richard is Dogrib (the Dibrib people are in Canada). The book was very well received and reviewed as a book primarily for parents.

That's it... for now. Fourteen books. If you know of others, please let me know! A hearty thanks to Jean Mendoza for working with me on this list, and for being my dear friend.

___________________
Update, March 6, 2012

Add Debby Slier's Cradle Me to this list! Published in 2012 by Star Bright Books, each page has a photo of a Native baby doing something (sleeping, smiling, etc.) and a blank line for you to write down that word in another language. The final pages identify the tribal nation each baby is from.


















__________

Update, November 18, 2014

Add Julie Flett's exquisite We All Count. It has words in Cree and English.
















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Update, November 4, 2016

Delighted to add these!

Good Morning World, by Paul Windsor (see review):

Debbie Slier's Loving Me (see review):

Celebrate My Hopi Corn and Celebrate My Hopi Toys by Anita Poleahla and Emmett Navakuku (see review):

My Heart Fills With Happiness by Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Julie Flett (see review):

And, David Alexander Robertson and Julie Flett's When We Were Alone (see review):

And, Richard Van Camp and Julie Flett's We Sang You Home (see review):

Update on Monday, Oct 17, 2022: These board books by Joni Spiess, Angela Y. Gonzales, Yaari Toolie-Walker, and Carla Snow are terrific! Review is here.

Sign up! California Indian Ed for All offers a free series of On-line Book Club meetings with Native Authors

This Thursday (September 12), I am giving a webinar in California Indian Ed for All's online book club series. These webinars are open to the public, and there is no charge for them. They start this week and go all the way to June of 2025. They are live/online from 3:30 to 5:00 Pacific Time. Sign up! 

If you teach courses in children's literature or social studies or literature or history or library services for youth (getting a bit carried away there, but I do think anyone whose work has to do with Native peoples and children should join), consider asking your students to sign up. I think you just need to register once and you'll be enrolled in all of them. A few days prior to each event you'll receive an email with a link to join in. (Note: I don't know if the webinars will be recorded and made available later.)

If you are a teacher, librarian, or parent, please sign up! You'll hear directly from authors of books you can use in your classroom. Knowing them through the webinars will help you impart more substance to the children you work with. 

As you look through the schedule, you'll see children's book authors but you'll also see books from scholars whose books will help you become more knowledgeable about Native peoples. Being more knowledgeable helps you become more adept at teaching children and adults, and they help you see problems like bias and stereotyping.

Sept 12 - Debbie Reese, Selecting and Using Children's Books about Boarding Schools

Sept 26 - Jean Pfaelzer, California: A Slave State

Oct 17 - Traci Sorell, We Are Still Here: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know, Being Home, and Contenders

Oct 24 - Christine Day, We Still Belong, The Sea in Winter, and I Can Make This Promise

Oct 31 - Debbie Reese, Children's Books about Native Youth and their Hair

Nov 7 - Laurel Goodluck, Forever Cousins, Rock Your Mocs and She Persisted: Deb Haaland

Dec 19 - Cynthia Leitich Smith, Hearts Unbroken, Jingle Dancer, and Sisters of the Neversea

Jan 16 - Michaela Goade, Berry Song, Remember, We Are Water Protectors, and Being Home

Jan 23 - Deborah Miranda, Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir

Feb 13 - Cutcha Risling-Baldy, We are Dancing for You: Native Feminisms and the Revitalization of Women's Coming-of-Age Ceremonies

Feb 20 - William Bauer, California Through Native Eyes: Reclaiming History

Feb 27 - William Bauer, We Are the Land: A History of Native California

Mar 13 - Debbie Reese, Children's Books about Native People in the Sciences

Mar 20 - Dina Gilio-Whitaker, Understanding Stereotypes and Native Americans, Part One: Master Narratives and Root Myths

Mar 27 - Dina Gilio-Whitaker, Understanding Stereotypes about Native Americans, Part Two: Modern Myths

Apr 17 - Carole Lindstrom, We Are Water Protectors, My Powerful Hair, and Autumn Peletier: Water Warrior

April 24 - Monique Gray Smith, My Heart Fills with Happiness, When We are Kind, and You Hold Me Up

May 8 - Laurel Goodluck, Fierce Aunties and Too Much: My Great Big Native Family

June 5 - Debbie Reese, Learn about New Children's Books by Native People

Here's screen caps of the schedule. Each one shows photos of the authors and a list of the books they'll be talking about. They are arranged according to months. Share this post with everyone you know! 

Indigenous #KidLitWomen

My contribution to the month-long #KidLitWomen campaign is to lift Indigenous women who have written books for children and teens.

If we were sitting in a classroom or a lecture hall, I'd ask you to name a picture book about a Native woman or girl. Chances are most of you would name a book by Paul Goble or Scott O'Dell. I drew a line through their names to tell you... NO! Not books by those guys! Inside, I'd be cringing to hear you give me those answers. And I'd explain that books by those men have many many many many (how many times shall I write that word?!) problems.

My solution-oriented challenge for you, for the #KidLitWomen campaign is this: Next time you're at the bookstore, reach for books written by Indigenous women. And ask for them at the library! And if your children bring that Goble or that O'Dell book home, arrange a meeting with the teacher to talk about books by Indigenous Women.

Here's my list. Take it with you to the book store, to the library... to your next book club meeting!

Board Books

• Wild Berries by Julie Flett (Cree-Métis), Simply Read Books, 2013.
• Boozhoo: Come Play With Us by Deanna Himango (Ojibwe), Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior, Chippewa, 2002.
• My Heart Fills With Happiness by Monique Gray Smith (Cree, Lakota and Scottish), Orca, 2016.

Picture Books

• Shi-shi-etko by Nicola I. Campbell (Nle7kepmx, Nsilx and Métis), Groundwood Books, 2005.
• The Good Luck Cat by Joy Harjo (Mvskoke), Harcourt Brace, 2000.
• Sweetest Kulu by Celina Kalluk (Inuit), Inhabit Media, Incorporated, 2014.
• Powwow Summer: A Family Celebrates the Circle of Life by Marcie Rendon (White Earth Anishinaabe), Minnesota Historical Society, 2013.
• Girls Dance, Boys Fiddle by Carole Lindstrom (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians), Pemmican, 2013.
• Hungry Johnny by Cheryl Minnema (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe), Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2014.
• The Water Walker by Joanne Robertson (Ojibwe), Orca, 2017.
• Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee Creek), Morrow, 2000.

Middle Grades

• I Am Not A Number by Jenny Kay Dupuis (Nipissing), Second Story, 2016.
• The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich (Turtle Mountain Chippewa), Hyperion, 1999.
• Indian Shoes by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee (Creek), HarperCollins, 2002.
• Super Indian, Vol. One and Vol. Two, by Arigon Starr (Kickapoo), Wacky Productions, 2012.

High School

• #NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women edited By Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale, Annick Press, 2017.
• The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline (Georgian Bay Métis), Dancing Cat, 2017.
• Murder on the Red River by Marcie Rendon, (White Earth Anishinaabe), Cinco Puntos, 2017.
• The Round House by Louise Erdrich, (Turtle Mountain Chippewa). Harper, 2012.

Coming in 2018 and 2019…

• The Summer of Split Feather Fever by Christine Day (Upper Skagit), HarperCollins.
• Apple In the Middle by Dawn Quigley (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa), North Dakota State University Press.
• We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci L. Sorell (Cherokee), Charlesbridge.
• Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee Creek), Candlewick.

Published in 2016: Books by/about Native peoples

We will be updating this page whenever we read something published in 2016.

If you compare what I have here with the CCBC list, you will notice that AICL received some books that CCBC did not, and vice versa. An asterisk indicates a book that appears here and on the CCBC list.

Recommended (N=16)

• Baker, Darryl. (2016) Kamik Joins the Pack. Inhabit Media, Canada.*
• Bruchac, Joseph. (2016) The Hunter's Promise: An Abenaki Tale. Wisdom Tales, US.  Update on Sep 30 2023: I (Debbie Reese) no longer recommend Bruchac's work. For details see Is Joseph Bruchac truly Abenaki?
• Dunn, Anne M. (2016) Fire in the Village. Holy Cow Press, US
• Dupuis, Jenny Kay. (2016) I Am Not A Number. Second Story Press, Canada.*
• Erdrich, Louise. (2016) Makoons. HarperCollins. US*
• Herrington, John B. (2016) Mission to Space. White Dog Press, US
• Highway, Tomson. (2016) Dragonfly Kites. Fifth House, Canada*
• Nelson, Jonathan. (2016) The Wool of Jonesy. Native Realities, US
• Nicholson, Hope (ed.). (2016) Love Beyond Body, Space, and Time, Bedside Press, Canada
• Rendon, Marcie. (2016). "Worry and Wonder" in Sky Blue Water: Great Stories for Young Readers. University of Minnesota Press, US
• Robertson, David. (2016) When We Were Alone, HighWater Press, Canada*
• Smith, Monique Gray. (2016) My Heart Fills with Happiness, Orca Books, Canada*
• Starr, Arigon (ed.). (2016) Tales of the Mighty Code Talkers, Native Realities, US
• Van Camp, Richard. (2016) We Sang You Home, Orca Books, Canada*
• Van Camp, Richard. (2016) The Lesser Blessed (20th Anniversary Edition), Douglas & McIntyre, Canada.
• Van Camp, Richard. (2016) Spirit, South Slave Divisional Education Council, Canada

Not Recommended (N=19)

• Currie, Susan. (2016) The Mask That Sang. Second Story Press, Canada.* 
• Dagg, Carole Estby. (2016). Sweet Home Alaska. Penguin Random House, USA.
• DiPucchio, Kelly and Mary Lundquist. (2016). One Little Two Little Three Little Children. Balzer & Bray/HarperCollins. USA.
• Flood, Nancy Bo. (2016). Soldier Sister, Fly Home. Charlesbridge, USA.* 
• Gemeinhart, Dan. (2016) Some Kind of Courage. Scholastic, USA.
• Grill, William. (2016). The Wolves of Currumpaw. Flying Eye Books, London. 
• Harrison, Margot. (2016). The Killer In Me. Hyperion, USA.
• Hawke, Ethan and Greg Ruth. (2016) Indeh: A Story of the Apache Wars. Hachette, USA.
• Henry, Emily. (2016). The Love That Split the World. Razorbill/Penguin, USA. 
• MacColl, Michaela. (2016). The Lost Ones. Calkins Creek/Highlights, USA.*
• Mann, J. Albert. (2016). Scar: A Revolutionary War Tale. Calkins Creek/Highlights, USA. 
• McGovern, Cammie. (2016). Just My Luck. HarperCollins, USA.
• Mullins, G. W. (2016). Native American Story Books. Light of the Moon, USA
• Preller, James. (2016) The Courage Test. Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan, USA.
• Smelcer, John. (2016). Stealing Indians. Leapfrog Press, USA.* 
• Smith, Lane. (2016). There Is A Tribe of Kids. Roaring Book Press/Macmillan, USA.
• Telgemeier, Raina. (2016) Ghosts. Scholastic, USA. 
• Wells, Robison. (2016). Dark Energy. HarperCollins, USA.
• Wolf, Joan M. (2016) Runs With Courage. Sleeping Bear Press, USA.

Reviewed but not able to put in recommended or not recommended (N=1):

• Alexie, Sherman. (2016). Thunder Boy Jr. Little Brown. US*

Not Yet Reviewed (N=17)

• Akulukjuk, Roselynn. (2016). The Owl and the Lemming. Inhabit Media. Canada
• Bruchac, Joseph. (2016). The Long Run. 7th Generation, US.*
• Bruchac, Joseph. (2016). Brothers of the Buffalo: A Novel of the Red River Way. Fulcrum Publishing, USA. 
• Bruchac, Joseph. (2016). Talking Leaves. Dial Books for Young Readers, US.*
• Crate, Joan. (2016). Black Apple. Simon and Schuster. US
• Daniel, Tony. (2016). The Dragon Hammer. Baen/Simon and Schuster, US.
• Florence, Melanie. (2016). Rez Runaway. Lerner, Canada.
• Flanagan, John. (2016). The Ghostfaces. Penguin, US.*
• Holt, K. A. (2016). Red Moon Rising. Margaret K. McElderry/Simon and Schuster
• Kwaymullina, Ambelin. (2016). The Disappearance of Ember Crow. 
• London, Jonathan. (2016). Bella Bella. West Winds. US.
• Modesto, Michelle. (2016). Revenge of the Wild. HarperCollins, US.
• Peratrovich, Roy A. (2016). Little Whale. University of Alaska Press.
• Petti, Erin. (2016). The Peculiar Haunting of Thelma Bee. Mighty Media Junior Readers.
• Robinson, Gary. (2016). Lands of Our Ancestors. 7th Generation, US.
• Sammurtok, Nadia. (2016). The Caterpillar Woman. Inhabit Media. Canada.
• Smith, Danna. (2016). Arctic White. Holt/Macmillan