I Lost My Talk (K-5)

Words by Rita Joe and Art by Pauline Young

Published in 2019 by Nimbus Publishing

I’m Finding My Talk (K-5)

Words by Rebecca Thomas and Art by Pauline Young

Published in 2019 by Nimbus Publishing

I Lost My Talk combines the words of Mi’kmaq poet Rita Joe with illustrations by Mi’kmaq artist Pauline Young to tell the story of Rita Joe’s childhood experiences at the Shubenacadie Residential School in Shubenacadie, NS. There, she was forced to speak English and leave her Mi’kmaq culture behind. “A Short History of Residential Schools,” located at the end of I Lost My Talk, provides readers with background about Canada’s Indian Residential Schools program and the Shubenacadie Residential School.

I’m Finding My Talk is the companion book to I Lost My Talk. It is written by Mi’kmaq poet Rebecca Thomas and illustrated by Mi’kmaq artist Pauline Young. As the daughter of a residential school survivor, Thomas highlights the intergenerational effects of residential school survivors and how she is connecting to her Mi’kmaq culture.