We All Play

Companion Guide for Teachers and Parents Available (Download/See All)

View the Cree glossary and pronunciation guide here!

A BEST CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, Washington Post, New York Public Library, Kirkus Reviews, The Globe and Mail 

STARRED Reviews in Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, The Horn Book, School Library Journal

From Julie Flett, the beloved author and illustrator of Birdsong, comes a joyous new book about playtime for babies, toddlers, and kids up to age 7. 

Animals and kids love to play! This wonderful book celebrates playtime and the connection between children and the natural world. Beautiful illustrations show:

• birds who chase and chirp!
• bears who wiggle and wobble!
• whales who swim and squirt!
• owls who peek and peep!
• and a diverse group of kids who love to do the same, shouting: 

We play too! / kimêtawânaw mîna

At the end of the book, animals and children gently fall asleep after a fun day of playing outside, making this book a great bedtime story. A beautiful ode to the animals and humans we share our world with, We All Play belongs on every bookshelf.

This book also includes:

• A glossary of Cree words for wild animals in the book
• A pronunciation guide and link to audio pronunciation recordings

Praise for Julie Flett’s Birdsong: 

An American Indian Youth Literature Honor Title 

A 2020 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Title 

A Best Book of 2019 in Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and Horn Book. 

“Cree-Métis author/illustrator Julie Flett's smooth and lyrical words and gorgeous... images truly capture the warmth and solidarity of the female protagonists in this tender intergenerational friendship story.”—The Horn Book 

“Emotionally stunning.”—Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

“Simple and profound, this tender story is a reminder that finding a new friend can make a new place feel like home. Highly recommended for purchase.”—School Library Journal (Starred Review)

“Flett’s subtle, sensitive story delicately traces filaments of growth and loss through intergenerational friendship, art making, and changing moons and seasons.”—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

JULIE FLETT, a Cree-Métis author, illustrator, and artist, has received numerous awards for her work, including a Governor General’s Award and the American Indian Library Association Award. She is the author of many books, including Birdsong (Greystone Kids, 2019), winner of the 2020 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, an American Indian Youth Literature Honor Book and Boston Globe Horn Book Title.Flett lives in Vancouver, Canada.