Description
You Hold Me Up / Gimanaadenim is by award-winning author Monique Gray Smith and is a 32-page picture book about friendship and kindness ideal for preschool and primary level students as educators introduce topics such as reconciliation. Gimanaadenim is in both English and Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe). In everyday interactions young children can show kindness and caring in their relationships. In their daily activities parents, caregivers, grandparents, and teachers can demonstrate their care, kindness and respect for the children in their care. A simple sentence and a colourful, stylized drawing accompany each activity. Using the ideas surrounding residential schools and healing from the impact of generations of school survivors and their families, the picture book provides a gentle way of showing love. How each child and adult can demonstrate their kindness and caring for each other is a powerful message that allows each child to think about their manners, relationships and friendships. Highly recommended. You Hold Me Up in English has been selected in the Children’s Category Longlist for First Nation Communities READ 2019.