Stolen words is a touching picture book written by Melanie Florence and illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard on the impacts of residential school. The picture book can be read by anyone of any age, but would be most suitable for people of the ages 7-12. In the story, a first nations’ old man’s granddaughter asked him if he knew how to say “granddaughter” in Cree, his original language. He told her she didn’t, as he went to residential school, where speaking his language was forbidden, and eventually, he had forgotten his language. The granddaughter feels bad for him, so she gives him a book on the language of Cree, and as they read it together, slowly but surely, he started to remember his language again. This book was great because it had such a powerful message on how devastating the impact residential school was. I also liked it because the illustrations were so beautiful and detailed. I am sure many people will be inspired by this book to do something about restoring peace in the first nations culture. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and the author and illustrator have definitely worked hard to create a powerful, inspiring story.

          Hey, Little Ant is a picture book written by Philip and Hannah Hoose and illustrated by Debbie Tilley. It’s a children’s tale and targeted towards elementary aged audiences, around 4-8 years old. A boy is taunting an ant and threatening to squish it, as the ant begs the boy not to. The ant reasons with the boy, and gave him some worthwhile advice. The ant told the boy that it also had things to care for, to not be persuaded by peer pressure, and most importantly, how the boy would feel if he were the ant. I think this is a suitable book for kids, reminding them to be kind and considerate of others’ feelings. I loved how the ant was not afraid to stick up for himself without being rude, it’s a good example that you can still defend someone while still being nice. Overall, this book was really great. It’s not only an amusing book, but it’s also a thought-provoking book for kids too, and will teach them that “a person’s a person, no matter how small”.