― Dave Eggers, What Can a Citizen Do?
Mini Read Lakeshore 2026 Book
You Hold Me Up / Gimanaadenim
Monique Gray Smith (Author), Danielle Daniel (Illustrator), Angela Mesic (Translator), Margaret Noodin (Translator)
"A citizen can pick up litter
A citizen can pull a weed
A citizen can help that critter
A citizen can plant a seed..."
Book Summary
Encourage children to show love and support for each other and to consider each other’s well-being in their everyday actions.
Consultant, international speaker and award-winning author Monique Gray Smith wrote You Hold Me Up to prompt a dialogue among young people, their care providers and educators about reconciliation and the importance of the connections children make with others. With vibrant illustrations from celebrated artist Danielle Daniel, this is a foundational book about building relationships, fostering empathy and encouraging respect between peers, starting with our littlest citizens.
This bilingual book includes full text in both English and Anishinaabemowin.
About The Author
Monique Gray Smith
MONIQUE GRAY SMITH is an award-winning, bestselling author of books for children and adults, as well as an accomplished international speaker and consultant. As a writer and storyteller, her books cover a broad spectrum of ages, topics, and emotions. Woven into all of Monique’s writing is the teaching that Love is Medicine and she truly believe that literature, both written and oral stories, are the fabric that strengthens society.
Monique’s most recent children’s book is, Dreaming Alongside and in 2022 I had the privilege and joy of adapting Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass for a new generation, Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults. One of my adult novels, Tilly and the Crazy Eights was longlisted for Canada Reads 2021. My novella, Lucy and Lola, was inspired by a visit to Gabriola in 2016.
Of Cree and Scottish descent, she has been sober and on her healing journey for more than thirty-four years. Her debut novel, Tilly: A Story of Hope and Resilience, won the 2014 Burt Award for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Literature. Monique Gray Smith and her family are blessed to live on the traditional territory of the WSÁNEĆ people near Victoria, British Columbia.
Reviews
“You Hold Me Up is a gentle but effective way to introduce the topic of Reconciliation to students of all ages.”
―ETFO Voice
“You Hold Me Up is a welcome addition to the ongoing conversations around healing and rebuilding relationships…Gentle, relevant and never heavy-handed, this book serves both as a quiet lullaby and a starting point for discussions on empathy, community and wellness.”
―Canadian Children’s Book News
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash