Ispík kákí péyakoyak/When We Were Alone

by David A. Robertson, Julie Flett (Illustrator), Alderick Leask (Translator)

Overview

A young girl notices things about her grandmother that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long, braided hair and beautifully coloured clothing? Why does she speak Cree and spend so much time with her family? As she asks questions, her grandmother shares her experiences in a residential school, when all of these things were taken away.

When We Were Alone won the 2017 Governor General's Literary Award in the Young People's Literature (Illustrated Books) category, and was nominated for the TD Canadian's Children's Literature Award. This edition includes the text in Swampy Cree syllabics and Roman orthography, as well as the original English.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781553799054
Publisher:	Portage & Main Press
Publication date:	09/29/2020
Edition description:	Bilingual edition, Swampy Cree/English Edition
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.31(d)
Language:	Cree
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

David A. Robertson (he/him/his) is a two-time winner of the Governor General's Literary Award, has won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, as well as the Writer's Union of Canada Freedom to Read award. He has received several other accolades for his work as a writer for children and adults, podcaster, public speaker, and social advocate. He was honoured with a Doctor of Letters by the University of Manitoba for outstanding contributions in the arts and distinguished achievements in 2023. He was nominated for the 2026 Hans Christian Anderson Award. He is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and lives in Winnipeg.

Julie Flett is a Swampy Cree and Red River Métis author, illustrator and artist. She has received numerous awards for her picture books, including the Governor General’s Award for When We Were Alone and On The Trapline (written by David A. Robertson), the American Indian Library Association Award for Little You (written by Richard Van Camp) and a BolognaRagazzi Award special mention for We Sang You Home (also written by Richard Van Camp). She is the three-time recipient of the Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Award. Her picture book Birdsong was awarded the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award for 2020 and Wild Berries was chosen as Canada’s First Nation Communities Read title selection for 2014-2015.

Alderick Leask is a respected Swampy Cree language instructor originally from Sapotaweyak Cree Nation, Manitoba. His experience includes conducting classes in Native Studies, Native Cultures, Native Languages and Canadian History from the Indigenous perspective using Traditional Elders’ Knowledge (TEK) and land-based learning. Mr. Leask places Creation and its bounties as his background in instructing students when learning basic outdoor survival skills. His usage of the functional and descriptive language of Swampy Cree demonstrates its practicality.

What People are Saying About This

Richard Van Camp

Beautiful, painful, and shining with truth and dignity.

Editorial Reviews

When We Were Alone is rare. It is exquisite and stunning, for the power conveyed by the words Robertson wrote, and for the illustrations that Flett created. I highly recommend it.

Debbie Reesen Indians in Children's Literature (AICL)

Robertson handles a delicate task here admirably well: explaining residential schools, that shameful legacy, and making them understandable to small children...Spare, poetic, and moving, this Cree heritage story makes a powerful impression.

Kirkus Reviews

A quiet story…of love and resistance.… Flett’s collage illustrations, with their simplicity and earthy colors, are soulful and gentle….  All readers will connect with how Nókom lives in celebration of colors, her long hair, her language, and, most of all, her family.

starred review The Horn Book Magazine

Robertson’s soft rhythmic text and Julie Flett’s simple, yet expressive, illustrations combine to create a beautiful story of strength and resistance. The muted colours used in the pictures of residential school life remind readers of the suffering endured by Indigenous children. The contrast between these pages, and the vibrant greens, reds, and blues of the illustrations depicting residential school students temporarily escaping into nature, is heartbreakingly effective. Robertson never tries to disguise the underlying tragedy of Nókom’s experience, but together he and Flett have crafted a book that is still suitable for younger readers, in spite of the intense subject matter.

When We Were Alone is an incredible work of art and is very highly recommended.

National Reading Campaign - Roseanne Gauthier

Beautiful, painful, and shining with truth and dignity.

Richard Van Camp

Among CCBC's Best Books for Kids and Teens list

Canadian Children's Book Centre

When We Were Alone is rare. It is exquisite and stunning, for the power conveyed by the words Robertson wrote, and for the illustrations that Flett created. I highly recommend it.

American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) - Debbie Reese

Shortlisted for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award

 

TD Canadian Children's Literature Award

Winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for Young People's Literature

 

Governor General's Literary Awards

A quiet story…of love and resistance.… Flett’s collage illustrations, with their simplicity and earthy colors, are soulful and gentle….  All readers will connect with how Nókom lives in celebration of colors, her long hair, her language, and, most of all, her family.

The Horn Book Magazine - a starred review