I Lost My Talk

Apparently this picture book is taken from a famous poem by Rita Joe about what happened to her when she was put into residential school in Canada, where they stripped her of her language. 

Children were forbidden to speak their native language, while the schools tried to turn them into little self-hating Canadians. Very sad time in history.

This simple poem, set at a picture book, is stunning in its simple colors, and pictures, and strong words

<img src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/i-lost-my-talk.png" alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5612" />

A good book to add to the collection of books on the experience of the residential school system.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

#ILostMyTalk #NetGalley
 Children as young as 5 were snatched from the street and sent to 1 of the more than 150 Residential Schools in Canada.  From 1870 to as late as 1996 the Canadian government attempted to solve "the Indian problem" by taking children from their families, taking their name and forbiding them to speak the language they were born into.  If they did speak in their mother tongue they were physically and emotionally punished.   I Lost My Talk is a beautifully illustrated and thought provoking picture book that brings the poetry of Rita Joe to life for young children.  It is a reminder of the wrong done to the Mi'kmaw people in an attempt to eradicate their culture.  
       I lost my talk, 
      The talk you took away..............
       You snatched it away.
       
But it is also a testament to the Mi'kmaw people who fought back and hung on to their culture.

      Your way is more powerful
         So gently I offer my hand
     Let me find my talk
           So I can teach you about me


  There is a brief history of Residential schools in Canada at the end.

  I  highly recommend this book for all libraries and classrooms in Canada.  It is an excellent way to bring attention to the ugly mistakes of the past and begin discussions about how to make repairs.

I Lost My Talk by Rita Joe is a children's book about a very serious topic. I only recently learned about Canada's residential schools from another children's book. While I still have mixed feelings about the correct age to introduce such difficult topics to children, I can appreciate the book for what it is. As the title suggests, there is not a lot of writing in this book. I admit, this went a little over my head at first, but once I caught on, it definitely made sense. The illustrations go very well with the topic and convey the feelings of the situations very strongly. I'm glad they included a quick description of the history of the residential schools in the back of the book as well.

This is a touching picture book about a young Native American girl who feels she is losing her talk, as she conforms to the school’s requirements.  She looks out over the water and dreams of finding her talk.  Elders help her find her voice.  

I will absolutely include both I Lost My Talk and Finding my Voice as mentor text within my classroom.  Beautifully written and illustrated.  The notes in the back about the school and author bring a deeper meaning and respect for the challenges Native Americans have endured.  #NetGalley #Hottingerhighlights #ILostMyTalk #family #culture

A take on what happened to the author, a nice visual rather than the text with random pictures. Tells the story of losing ones language at that time in history for many.

I finally read both I Lost My Talk by Rita Joe and I'm Finding My Talk by Rebecca Thomas, both illustrated by Pauline Young. These works of accessible poetry in picture book form were intended to be read as companions to one another, so that's how I read them. They make for a gentle introduction to the topics of losing culture and language in the Residential School System in Canada (in I Lost My Talk) and trying to find culture and language that your family has lost before you were even born (in I'm Finding My Talk). The poetry is beautiful and the art is stunning. I could see them both making excellent education resources either in schools or at home.

I would definitely recommend both, especially together!