About this book

★ Winner of the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award
★ Winner of the Ontario Library Association Golden Oak Award

A beautiful, transcendent story of a mother-daughter connection that persists through tragedy and across time.

Kateri is a young Cree girl, growing up in the care of her grandmother. We see her reaching important milestones: her first day of school, first dance, first date, wedding, first child. Her mother is absent, but not gone, watching her child growing up without her.

Told in alternating voices of child and mother, Missing Nimâmâ is a story of love, loss, and acceptance, showing the human side of a national tragedy. Dreamlike illustrations by François Thisdale enrich Kateri’s emotional journey. An afterword by the author provides a simple, age-appropriate context for young readers. Includes Cree words and glossary.

Reviews

Praise for Missing Nimâmâ:

“A free-verse intergenerational story of separation, loss, and daughter-mother connection amid the ongoing crisis of missing First Nations girls and women. . .” — Kirkus Reviews

“A touching story related from the point of view of a missing indigenous woman as she watches her daughter grow up without her.” — Quill & Quire

“Missing Nimâmâ is a haunting story of lives lost and lived and shared, beautifully rendered in words and art. Expect to see this one on award lists in the near future.” — CanLit for Little Canadians