Kohkom's First Drum

Written by Monique Gray Smith · Translated by Dorothy Thunder · Illustrated by Karlene Harvey

A boy learns why his grandmother received her first drum only recently.

4.2 Goodreads · 6 ratings

32 pages· 610L· AR ~3.9

$21.95Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Charlie loves drum circle at school, and his Kohkom tells him she was given her very first drum not long ago, at a ceremony honoring children who never came home from residential schools. Charlie doesn't understand why it took so long. Kohkom explains that she was taken from her family as a small child in the Sixties Scoop and only later learned what being Cree meant. A gentle story of reconnection, told in English and Plains Cree.

From the publisher

When Charlie's Kohkom asks him what the best part of his school day was, he knows right away: Indigenous drum circle! Kohkom tells him that not very long ago she was gifted her very first drum at a ceremony for children who never returned home from residential schools. But Charlie doesn't understand. How could she only have gotten her first drum so recently? Kohkom explains that she was taken from her family when she was very little because of something called the Sixties Scoop. She was raised by an adoptive white family and only later learned what being Cree meant. It's taken her a long time to feel like she belongs. Kohkom's story gives Charlie the idea to teach her a song so they can play their drums together. This bilingual book includes full text in both English and Plains Cree.

At a glance