“Textured acrylic paintings, done in rich earth tones...portray the sanctity of the natural environment...a sensitive, respectful portrayal of contemporary Native Americans.” — School Library Journal

This simple story in Cree and English explores a young child’s relationship to his grandmother, or nôkhom, as they go for a walk in the woods to pick rosehips. The young boy follows his grandmother, walking, listening, picking, praying and eating, just as she does. In doing so, he absorbs the rich cultural traditions and values of his Cree heritage.

Caitlin Dale Nicholson’s acrylic-on-canvas illustrations portray the close relationship between the boy and his grandmother and the natural beauty of the bush. Her text has been translated into Cree by Leona Morin-Neilson, who was also the inspiration for niwîcihâw / I Help.

Formerly titled Niwechihaw / I Help, this revised paperback edition features updated text, including Cree syllabics in addition to standard roman orthography and English.

Key Text Features
recipe

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4
Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.6
With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

CAITLIN DALE NICHOLSON is a graduate of the First Nations Studies program at the University of Northern British Columbia. Her family and Leona Morin-Neilson’s family have been close friends for many years, and Caitlin continues to learn about traditional plant medicines from Leona. Caitlin has written and illustrated the first two books in the Nôhkom series — niwîcihâw / I Help and nipêhon / I Wait. She is currently living with her family in Tahltan Territory in northern British Columbia.

Caitlin Dale Nicholson's profile page

LEONA MORIN-NEILSON teaches Cree at the “Power of Friendship” Aboriginial Headstart program in Prince George, British Columbia, and at the University of Northern British Columbia. She also teaches people in her community about traditional plants and how they can be used for medicinal purposes.

Leona Morin-Neilson's profile page

...acrylic-on-canvas paintings give a dream-like feel to the story, making it almost a nostalgic look at childhood...Recommended.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

...a quiet narrative...broad brush strokes and blurred colours conveying light and atmosphere as much as personality...the simple verbs in present tense provide a wealth of clues about the workings of the Cree language.

Toronto Star

Textured acrylic paintings, done in rich earth tones...portray the sanctity of the natural environment...a sensitive, respectful portrayal of contemporary Native Americans.

School Library Journal