Published by Greystone Kids


Summary: Animals and children play through the pages of this book: a rabbit hides in the grass, then hops with a cricket, while a fox and turtle go nose to nose, sniffing and sneaking. After the animals come the children, jumping and hiding in their own patches of grass. The refrain “We play too! Kimêtawânaw mîna” appears on all the pages depicting the kids. The animals are listed at the end in English and Cree, with the Cree words for one animal, more than one, and younger, smaller, cuter versions of that animal. There’s also additional information on the Cree language and a website readers can visit to hear pronunciations of the words in the book; also a letter from the author with more information about her inspirations for creating this book. 48 pages; ages 2-7.
Pros: Kids will love the beautiful illustrations of the different animals portrayed on simple white backgrounds, and the pictures of the children may inspire them to get up and move like the animals.
Cons: The headings on the list of animals were “English”, “One”, “More than one”, and “Younger, Smaller, Cuter”; I had to read the next page to figure out they were in Cree.