Richard Van Camp is a proud member of the Dogrib (Tlicho) Nation from Fort Smith, NWT.He is a graduate of the En'owkin International School of Writing, the University of Victoria's Creative Writing BFA Program, and the Master's Degree in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia. He is an internationally renowned storyteller and best-selling author. His novel, The Lesser Blessed, is now a movie with First Generation Films and premiered in September of 2012 at the Toronto International Film Festival. He is the author of four collections of short stories, Angel Wing Splash Pattern, The Moon of Letting Go, Godless but Loyal to Heaven and Night Moves, as well as two children's books with Cree artist, George Littlechild: A Man Called Raven and What's the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses?His first baby book, Welcome Song for Baby: A Lullaby for Newborns, was the official selection of the Books for BC Babies program and was given to every newborn baby in British Columbia in 2008. Richard followed this up with another board book: Nighty-Night: A Bedtime Song for Babies. His third book for babies, Little You, is now out with Orca Book Publishers. The amazing Julie Flett is the artist. Little You is published in Bush Cree, Dene and South Slavey, courtesy of the South Slave Divisional Board of Education. His new book for babies with Julie Flett is called "We Sang You Home" and it is gorgeous!All of Richard Van Camp's children's books are available in Braille for free, anywhere in the world, courtesy of the Provincial Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired (PRCVI) and Accessible Resource Centre-British Columbia (ARC-BC)Richard has six graphic novels and comic books out: his first comic book on deterring youth away from gangs, Path of the Warrior, is published with Cree artist, Steve Sanderson, through the Healthy Aboriginal Network. His second comic book on sexual health is Kiss Me Deadly, with Haida artist Chris Auchter. His four graphic novels are Three Feathers (published in Bush Cree, Dene, South Slavey and English, illustrated by Krystal Mateus, on restorative justice; The Eisner Award Nominated A Blanket of Butterflies, on the theme of peace making, illustrated by Scott Henderson, The Blue Raven, illustrated by Steve Sanderson on mental health, and Spirit, a suicide prevention comic book illustrated by Emily Brown (which is also published in Bush Cree, Dene, and South Slavey and English).

Richard Van Camp's profile page

Julie Flett is an award-winning Cree-Metis author, illustrator and artist. She has received many awards, including the 2016 American Indian Library Association Award for Best Picture Book for Little You, written by Richard Van Camp (Orca Books), and the Canadian Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Award in 2015 for Dolphins SOS, written by Roy Miki (Tradewind Books) and in 2017 for My Heart Fills with Happiness, written by Monique Gray Smith (Orca Books), and was nominated for the Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature for her book Owls See Clearly at Night (Lii Yiiboo Nayaapiwak lii Swer): A Michif Alphabet (L’alphabet di Michif). Her own Wild Berries (Simply Read Books) was chosen as Canada’s First Nation Communities Read title selection for 2014-2015.

www.julieflett.com

 

Julie Flett's profile page

• Commended, BOLOGNARAGAZZI AWARD Toddlers
• Commended, CCBC Best Books
• Commended, Bank Street College of Education Children's Book Committee Best Children's Books of the Year

"Babies and toddlers love to be loved, and they will also love to see themselves and their parents reflected in the beautiful pages of this book."

Canadian Children's Book News

"Both Van Camp's words and Flett's illustrations are economical, but We Sang You Home is not a quick read. Instead, each of the paired pages of text and illustration truly demands that the reader pause and reflect on the pages' contents. Highly recommended."

CM Magazine

"The emotions of parenthood—including feelings of love, elation, and gratitude—are certain to be conveyed to [children] by the parents who share this tale with them. A lovely picture book that will resonate with parents and show young readers the profound, positive impact they have on their parents' lives."

School Library Journal

“A sweet and loving board book...The parents' certainty that their baby is ‘the best of all of us’ is an affirmation every baby should hear.’

Kirkus Reviews

“A beautiful welcome and a thank you to the Indigenous child who brings joy into the parents’ lives.”

School Library Journal

"A great strength of this book is that it is nonspecific and inclusive enough to encompass all new babies—arriving through birth, fostering, or adoption—and it does not specify gender…The whole message is one of love, welcome, and completion now that the young one has joined the family. The eye-catching illustrations hint at a non-specific non-white race for the family (could be Asian, First Nations, Inuit, etc.), making this book inclusive and encompassing of Canada's ethnic diversity…It is a book of thankfulness and hope that would make a wonderful addition to the preschool collection in a library. Highly recommended."

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